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Emerald Ash Borer

A tiny green exotic wood-boring insect called the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is invading the City of St. Louis’ popular ash trees. Since 2002, the EAB has been killing all untreated ash trees in cities they have infested. They burrow into the trees, damage their veins and cut off their water supply. Once dry and brittle, ash trees can fall and damage people and property.

The City of St. Louis Forestry Division takes the EAB problem very seriously and is being proactive before stopping the insect becomes much more difficult, dangerous and costly to manage. It has created a five-year plan that combines the lessons learned from other cities that have been infested by the EAB. For instance, several cities decided not to remove their ash trees until they died. Then they realized they could not keep up with the mounting number of dead trees or the cost of removing them.

The Forestry Division’s plan involves a three-step approach:

  • Protecting the large healthy ash trees;
  • Removing the others; and
  • Replanting for complete replacement of all removed ash trees.

Protecting the trees will involve injecting them with an organic botanical treatment every two years. Tree removal will begin soon and continue for the next five years. It will start in Ward 1 in north St. Louis, which has the largest concentration of ash trees. The ash trees slated for removal will have yellow neon tags on them. Please do not remove the tags.

Forest ReLeaf of Missouri will lead the replanting of the ash trees. We have been actively securing tree planting grants and working with aldermen to utilize some of their funds that have historically been used for such projects. All removed ash trees will be replaced with one of 40 different tree species so this problem does not occur again.

‘Like’ our Facebook page for Updates!

Listen to Community Connection w/ Jade Herrell interview Skip Kincaid, Forestry Commissioner City of St. Louis and Donna Coble, Executive Director Forest ReLeaf of Missouri.

Ash Tree Facts:

  • 15,000+ public ash trees (17%) line city streets and are in parks.
  • There are about 1,000 ash trees that are 13 inches in diameter and in good condition that will be injected instead of removed.
  • About 2,600 ash trees will be removed each year for the next five years beginning in areas with the most ash trees.
  • Ash trees die within 2-3 years of being infested.
  • Tree mortality rates increase rapidly each year and will peak in about six to eight years.

Helpful Links:

City of St. Louis Forestry Division emerald ash borer information, https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/ash-borer

Emerald Ash Borer Strategy for St. Louis https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/parks/forestry/documents/ash-borer-plan.cfm

Common Questions about Emerald Ash Borer Treatment and Removal https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/parks/forestry/ash-borer/emerald-ash-borer-questions.cfm

Computerized list of ash tree locations, https://showmotrees.mytreekeeper.com

How to identify an ash tree, https://www.emeraldashborer.info

Elijah Belz
Field Operations Coordinator

I am Elijah Belz, the Field Operations Coordinator for Forest ReLeaf. I am a certified arborist and the primary person in the field for Forest ReLeaf, maintaining roughly 1000 trees planted in the St. Louis City, and maintaining our equipment our equipment used to maintain our trees! This job is a catch-all position that carries different responsibilities during the different seasons. Fall and spring are our planting, tree delivery, and inventory season; winter is our pruning, mulching, and planning season; summer is our watering season where we lead a crew of interns getting into the green industry. 

My background is bicycle repair! I was in that industry for almost a decade, including running a bicycle repair shop, before taking a job with a tree planting organization in Atlanta. From there I moved to an edible landscape company. I became certified as an arborist while working at Forest ReLeaf this February! Trees rock, bikes are cool too.

Amy Moscowitz
Outreach Coordinator

Amy Moscowitz joined Forest ReLeaf in 2026 as Outreach Coordinator, bringing experience in community engagement, volunteer coordination, and outdoor education. She is passionate about creating meaningful experiences that help people connect with nature and each other. She is excited to activate the City Tree Farm and engage the St. Louis community in hands-on environmental work.

Kate Pichon-Hellmann
Office Assistant

Kate joined Forest ReLeaf in November 2025 with a background in education, ministry, community organizing, and local government.  Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Kate’s love of nature began at an early age while building tree forts, foraging for blueberries, and exploring the Alaskan wilderness.  Kate has a B.A. from Loyola University Chicago, a M.Div. from the Jesuit School of Theology, and a M.S. in Urban Ecology and Sustainable Planning from Unity College.  Kate is passionate about environmental sustainability, native plants, and sustainable urban planning.  She brings her passion and skills to support the great work of the Forest ReLeaf team.

De'Nonna Jones

De’Nonna Jones graduated from Knox College in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, driven by a commitment to environmental justice and community-based conservation. Since then, she has gained hands-on experience working across a range of green spaces throughout the St. Louis region, focusing on the care, restoration, and accessibility of urban natural areas. She began her journey at Tower Grove Park, where she developed a deep appreciation for public green spaces as vital community resources, before moving into a stewardship role with the Missouri Botanical Garden in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway. She now serves as the Stewardship Crew Coordinator at Forest ReLeaf. De’Nonna is passionate about creating inclusive pathways into environmental work and empowering tree lovers and emerging conservationists to see themselves as stewards of their communities. Through her work, she strives to strengthen connections between people, trees, and places in urban environments.

Jess Underwood
Finance & Operations Director

After 17 years in the non-profit and public sector, Jess remains committed to mission-driven work that tackles the challenges facing our communities. Their career began with a year of service as an Americorps St. Louis Emergency Response team member, responding to natural disasters and performing conservation projects. That foundation of service led to roles supporting the arts, affordable housing, mental health, and grassroots housing advocacy in St. Louis. During this journey Jess has worked to center the value “nothing about us, without us.” They do their best to ensure that the voices of people who have been marginalized guide the strategy and execution of work that honors their lived experiences. When they aren’t working, Jess is out paddling, hiking, working in their garden, or building something.