Dead Ash Tree Removal: The North Shore's Big Problem

If you have driven around the North Shore and noticed bare, gray, leafless trees standing among the green ones, you have seen the single biggest tree problem in the region: dead ash. Over the past decade, the emerald ash borer - a small invasive beetle - has killed an enormous share of Illinois ash trees, and the North Shore's parkways and backyards were full of ash. Many of those trees are now dead and standing, and dead ash is dangerous in a way most other trees are not. Here is what happened, why a dead ash near your house should not wait, and how removing one differs from any other tree.

What the emerald ash borer did

The emerald ash borer arrived in the region years ago and spread fast, with no natural check on it. Its larvae tunnel under the bark and cut off the tree's ability to move water and nutrients, and once a tree is infested it almost always dies - usually within a few years. Because ash was such a common street and yard tree across the Chicago area, whole blocks lost their ash canopy. The result is a landscape dotted with standing dead ash, and more of them fail every storm season. We cover the beetle and the timeline in why dead ash can't wait.

Why dead ash is more dangerous than other dead trees

Every dead tree is a growing hazard, but dead ash is worse, and the reason is the wood itself. Ash goes brittle unusually fast after it dies. Within a season or two, the wood that was strong and flexible becomes dry and snap-prone. That has two consequences that matter to you:

• Limbs drop without warning. A brittle ash sheds branches unpredictably, including large ones, in wind or even on a still day. A dead ash over a driveway, patio, or sidewalk is a real risk to people and property.
• It can no longer be safely climbed. A living tree holds a climber and takes normal rigging. A brittle dead ash may not - the wood can fail under the climber or under the load. That changes everything about how it has to come down.

This is why a dead ash gets harder and more dangerous to remove the longer it stands. A tree that could have been climbed and taken down cleanly two years ago may now be too far gone to work by hand at all.

How dead-ash removal is different

A dead ash removal is priced like any removal - by size and access - but the tree's condition drives the method. Because brittle ash often cannot be climbed or rigged the normal way, these jobs more frequently need:

• A bucket truck, so the crew works from the machine rather than trusting the tree to hold a climber.
• A crane, on larger or more degraded ash, to lift sections out without anyone in or under the tree. See crane-assisted removal.

That equipment adds cost on some jobs, but it is what makes a brittle-ash removal safe. Trying to climb a dead ash to save money is exactly the wrong economy.

What dead-ash removal costs

Dead ash removal typically runs $1,500 to $8,000 on the North Shore, the same broad range as other tree removals, with the number set by:

• Size. A big parkway ash holds a lot of brittle wood.
• Access. As always, how equipment can reach the tree matters more than the species.
• Condition and method. A recently-dead ash that can still be worked from a bucket costs less than a long-dead one that needs a crane because it is too degraded to touch otherwise.

The practical takeaway: the sooner a dead ash comes down, the easier and often cheaper it is. Waiting does not save money on ash; it usually costs more as the tree degrades toward needing a crane.

How to tell if your ash is dead

If you are not sure whether your bare tree is an ash, or whether it is truly dead, look for a canopy that is mostly bare while other trees are green, bark falling off in patches revealing S-shaped tunnels underneath (the borer's signature), and new sprouts low on the trunk while the top is dead - a classic sign of a tree trying and failing to survive. The scratch test helps confirm it. Woodpeckers working the trunk hard are another tell - they are after the larvae.

What to do about it

If you have a standing dead ash, especially near the house, driveway, or a walkway, it is worth getting it assessed and scheduled before the next storm season rather than waiting for it to start dropping limbs. It does not have to be an emergency today - but on the North Shore, dead ash is the tree most likely to become one.

Homeowners across Evanston, Wilmette, Northbrook, Glenview, and the rest of the North Shore are working through their dead ash a yard at a time. For an honest look at yours - whether it needs to come down now and what it would cost - request a free on-site estimate, or get a quick planning range from the online estimate tool.