GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — With the holiday over those with a real Christmas tree in their home might want to check their tree before throwing it out. It might be host to an invasive pest: the Elongate Hemlock Scale.
“It’s specific to trees that are brought in from a different state,” Brian Kuhn from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture told WTAQ. “We’re asking people to burn those.”
If you can’t burn them, bag them before disposing of them curbside. The scale is an invasive insect from Asia that’s been prevalent in the Eastern US.
“They’re not highly mobile, but what we’re really trying to avoid is people throwing them out by the compost bins in their backyard or by trees in their backyard or by a field,” Kuhn said.
How can you tell if your tree has EHS? Check the lower branches of the tree. If the back of the pines have consistent brown spots and a waxy residue, that’s probably EHS. Burn the tree or bag it up tight before putting it in the trash.
If your tree doesn’t have EHS, the City of Green Bay’s tree disposal is operating now. It never actually stops. Christmas Trees are collecting as regular brush waste.
“The city of Green Bay collects brush at the curbside on a year-round basis,” said Public Works Operations Manager Chris Pirlot. “As long as it’s put out and cut by the property owner.”
So that means that even if you take your tree down in April…you can still get it disposed of.
“We bring them to our yard waste center to get processed through a tub grinder…and turned into mulch,” Pirlot told WTAQ.
More information is available online at the Department of Agriculture’s Website.
