Last reviewed: April 2026 by Henry Kowalec, CF
Emerald Ash Borer Has Reached Every County in New York
Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) was first confirmed in New York in 2009. By 2021, it had been detected in all 62 counties. In Sullivan, Orange, and Ulster counties — where white ash and green ash are common components of mixed hardwood forests — there are no ash trees that can be assumed safe from eventual infestation.
For private landowners, this creates a decision that does not resolve itself by waiting. The question is not whether EAB will affect your ash trees. It is whether you will act while you still have options.
Call (845) 754-8242 to schedule a free woodland assessment. Henry walks the property personally before making any recommendations.
EAB Assessment and Timber Recovery Planning
Henry Kowalec has been managing timber and woodland assessments in the Hudson Valley and Catskills for more than 30 years. EAB assessment and timber recovery planning is now a standard part of woodland management work in this region.
When a landowner contacts EFP about EAB, Henry walks the property and assesses:
- Infestation stage — how far EAB has progressed in the ash component of the stand, using visual indicators including crown dieback percentage, epicormic sprouting, D-shaped exit hole density, bark condition, and woodpecker activity.
- Timber value remaining — whether the merchantable ash on the property is still in a grade that mills will accept, and what current stumpage prices are for white ash and green ash sawlogs vs. pulpwood in the regional market.
- Treatment viability — whether chemical treatment is economically justified for any trees on the property, based on tree size, location, value, and proximity to water.
- The harvest option — if salvage harvest is the right choice, Henry manages the entire timber sale: cruise and appraisal, competitive bidding among qualified buyers, contract review, and harvest monitoring.
Ash Timber Value and the EAB Infestation Timeline
White ash is a commercially valuable hardwood. High-grade white ash sawlogs are used in flooring, millwork, tool handles, and specialty lumber products. When EAB-affected ash is harvested while the wood is still sound and the bark intact, it commands sawlog prices. When it is harvested after significant decline, it grades to pulpwood or has no commercial value at all.
Henry has walked properties where the landowner received a direct offer years earlier, declined it, and returned to find the ash standing dead with no remaining timber value. He has also walked properties where a well-timed selective harvest recovered $20,000 to $60,000 in ash timber income while the affected trees were still merchantable.
The difference between those two outcomes was often a matter of one or two growing seasons.
Selective Harvest vs. Clear-Cutting: How EAB Management Works
A common concern among landowners is that dealing with EAB means removing all their ash at once and leaving large gaps in their woodland. That is not how responsible forest management handles EAB.
Henry marks individual trees for removal based on infestation stage, location, and their role in the stand. High-value ash in early-stage infestation may be candidates for treatment rather than removal. Trees in advanced decline come out selectively, leaving the stand structure intact. The harvest is planned to protect residual trees, minimize soil disturbance, and create regeneration conditions for the next cohort of species to establish.
The goal is not to respond to a pest emergency by stripping a forest. It is to make deliberate decisions — tree by tree — that recover value where value exists and protect the long-term health of everything else.
Service Area
Henry Kowalec serves private landowners in Sullivan County, Orange County, and Ulster County, NY, and adjacent areas of Pike County and Wayne County, PA and Sussex County, NJ.
Call (845) 754-8242 to schedule a free woodland assessment. Henry walks the property personally before making any recommendations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does emerald ash borer do to ash trees?
Emerald ash borer larvae feed on the inner bark of ash trees, cutting off the flow of water and nutrients between roots and canopy. Infested trees typically show thinning crowns, S-shaped galleries under the bark, D-shaped exit holes (about 1/8 inch wide), and epicormic sprouting — bushy growth erupting from the trunk and lower branches as the tree attempts to compensate for canopy loss. Most ash trees die within 3 to 5 years of initial infestation without treatment.
Is it too late to do anything about EAB on my property?
It depends on how far the infestation has progressed. Trees in early to mid-stage infestation — crown thinning in the upper third, some epicormic sprouting, no major bark splitting — still have options: chemical treatment for high-value specimen trees and timber salvage for stand-level infestation. Trees with more than 50% crown loss, bark splitting, and wood staining have passed the economic threshold for treatment and are approaching the end of their salvageable timber window. A woodland assessment identifies exactly where your ash stands fall on that progression.
Can EAB-affected ash trees be logged for timber?
Yes — but timing matters. White ash and green ash with early to mid-stage EAB still produce merchantable sawlogs for lumber production. As infestation progresses, the wood begins to stain and check, reducing grade and mill acceptance. Once bark begins to slip and internal decay sets in, the trees have no sawlog value and limited pulpwood value. Landowners who harvest EAB-affected ash while it is still merchantable can recover meaningful timber income. Those who wait too long lose that window entirely.
Do I need a consulting forester to deal with EAB?
You don't legally need one — but financially, you almost certainly benefit from one. A forester assesses which trees are worth treating vs. harvesting, manages competitive bidding among timber buyers to recover market value rather than one buyer's preferred price, and ensures the harvest is conducted in a way that protects the rest of your woodland. Landowners who sell EAB-affected timber through a competitive bid process managed by an independent forester consistently recover more than those who accept a direct offer from the first buyer who contacts them.
What ash species are affected by EAB?
All North American ash species are susceptible to emerald ash borer. In Sullivan, Orange, and Ulster counties, the most common affected species are white ash (Fraxinus americana) and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica). Both are commercially valuable timber species when harvested before significant EAB-related decline.