SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It’s been over seven years since the emerald ash borer was discovered in Sioux Falls.

If you have ash trees in your yard, now is the time to make a plan for them if you don’t have one already.

Andre Sushchik has been busier than usual with ash trees.

He’s an arborist with AAA Tree Service.

“We’ve noticed this year more than other years past it’s really taking its toll and we’ve been cutting a lot of dead, dying ash trees this season in particular. It’s probably going to get worse in the next couple of years,” Sushchik said.

The Emerald Ash Borer was first detected in Sioux Falls back in 2018.

At the time it was estimated about 40 percent of the trees in the city were ash trees.

Since then, the city has been removing ash trees from city owned property.

Homeonwers have also been addressing the issue.

Today, it’s estimated about 10 percent of the trees in the city are ash.

Park Operations Manager Josh Johnson says the biggest concern right now is on private property.

Getting a head start on trick-or-treating

“Backyard trees, private ash trees, are what gives us sleepless nights a little bit. There’s some significant risk with some of those trees,” Johnson said.

That’s because infected trees can become brittle and lose branches or fall.

Arboist Ryan Myott with Weller Brothers says if you’ve been treating your ash trees, keep doing it.

“If you haven’t been, the best thing would be to hire a licensed arborist who’s qualified and has good insurance, all that good stuff, to come out an remove that tree for you as soon as possible,” Myott said.

If you don’t have a plan for your ash trees, Johnson says to talk with a city-licensed arborist and come up with a plan.

In addition to the city’s removal of ash trees from the boulevards, Johnson says about 5,000 street ash trees are being treated by residents.

The city has received $3 million from the U.S. Ag Department to plant more than 2,500 trees in the public right of way in the coming years.