Emerald Ash Borer in Grand Rapids: Dead Ash Removal and What's Next
Grand Rapids has lost more mature ash trees in the last fifteen years than to any other event in the city's modern history. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) reached Kent County in the mid-2000s, and an estimated 99% of untreated white, green and black ash are now dead or dying. If you still have an ash standing on your Grand Rapids property, it almost certainly needs to come down — and the longer you wait, the more dangerous and expensive the removal becomes.
01 / 04
How to know your Grand Rapids ash is dead
Look for D-shaped exit holes about 1/8 inch across on the trunk, vertical bark splits with serpentine S-shaped galleries underneath, woodpecker damage where birds have flaked off outer bark chasing larvae, canopy thinning that started at the top, and water sprouts pushing from the trunk and lower limbs as the tree tries to compensate.
Once a Grand Rapids ash has lost more than a third of its canopy, treatment is no longer effective and removal is the only safe path.
02 / 04
Why dead ash get dangerous fast
EAB-killed ash become brittle within one to three years of death. The wood loses tensile strength rapidly, branches snap without warning, and the spar can come apart under a climber's weight. We remove most dead ash in Grand Rapids from a bucket truck or with a crane — climbing a long-dead ash is not a risk a responsible tree service takes.
If you have a dead ash near a house, garage, driveway, fence or sidewalk anywhere in Grand Rapids, it should come down this season. Insurance does not cover preventive removal, but it absolutely does not cover the cost of an ignored hazard tree dropping on a structure.
03 / 04
Ash removal cost in Grand Rapids
Because dead ash often need a crane or extended bucket reach, removal costs run slightly higher than for a live tree of the same size. Typical Grand Rapids ranges: small ash under 12-inch trunk $400–$700, mid-sized ash 12–24 inch $900–$2,000, and large mature ash 24+ inch (often near structures) $2,000–$5,000 with crane support.
We can often combine multiple dead ash on neighboring Grand Rapids properties into one crane day, which spreads the crane setup cost and lowers each homeowner's bill significantly.
04 / 04
What to plant next on a Grand Rapids lot
Good replacement species for Grand Rapids soils and climate include swamp white oak, bur oak, hackberry, Kentucky coffeetree, tulip poplar, American hornbeam, and disease-resistant elm cultivars (Princeton, Valley Forge). Avoid planting another monoculture — the lesson EAB taught Kent County is that diversity is the only real defense.
Call (616) 438-5552 for a free dead-ash assessment anywhere in Grand Rapids — Heritage Hill, Eastown, Creston, Alger Heights, West Side, Ottawa Hills and surrounding zip codes.
Need a free estimate?
We answer the phone day and night. Tell us what you need — we'll come look at it.
- Licensed & insured
- 24/7 emergency response
- Free written estimates
- We accept insurance claims