One arborist’s mission to protect black ash trees

Kris Dulmer is an arborist in Milton. And he’s on a mission to protect black ash trees.

The black ash is the rarest of Vermont’s native ashes, and it’s the most threatened by the emerald ash borer (the invasive beetle that kills ash trees).

Throughout the course of his work, Dulmer keeps a lookout for healthy black ash trees. When he finds one, he volunteers to inject it with a dose of insecticide. The treatment keeps the tree protected against the emerald ash borer for two years. But the insecticide is expensive, and Dulmer often covers the cost himself.

For Dulmer, treating these trees is a labor of love. He grew up with black ash trees, and he doesn’t want to see them disappear.

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