What causes i think my ash tree has that beetle?
Agrilus planipennis, a non-native beetle from Asia that has spread through the eastern US since its 2002 Michigan detection and is established across Indiana. Adults lay eggs in bark crevices; the larvae do all the damage. It moves locally by flight and over long distances almost entirely in firewood and unprocessed logs. North American ash carry no evolved resistance, which is why healthy, well-watered, well-sited ash die right alongside stressed ones.
What you'd see
Ash trees only, plus the occasional white fringetree. Thinning starts at the very top and works down while the lower canopy still looks normal. Sprouts erupt from the trunk and root flare. Vertical splits open in the bark. Peel loose bark and you find S-shaped tunnels packed with fine frass. Crisp D-shaped exit holes about an eighth of an inch across, flat on one side. Pale patches where woodpeckers stripped bark to reach the larvae.
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