I thought Id post a few pics of what the bark looks like when trees are infected with EAB.
View attachment 16652 what the bugs are doing to the cambium layer under the bark.
View attachment 16650
I feel your pain. We've completely lost 95% of mature ash in our region. There are still some occasional mature trees that are heavily attacked but are still clinging to life.
Immature ash don't seem to be attractive to EAB. I've kept a lot of my immature ash alive by hinge cutting it. It stays alive, but it's in the immature state so it's not getting attacked. Time will tell if there is any merit to this approach.
I also cut most of my mature ash while they were still alive. What that accomplished was to keep the root system alive. Stump sprouts from mature ash are desired browse around here.
But losing the ash isn't even the entire problem. We are being totally invaded by Japanese Stilt Grass and it explodes when the ash canopy is removed. That crap is absolutely horrible. It tolerates light shade and it really thrives in sun. Walking through our woods right now is very rugged. The skeletons of dead ash litter the ground, and the stiltgrass hides all the logs and branches. Tripping, stumbling, twisting ankles and knees is a real issue.
Mile-a-Minure is another invasive that thrives in the newly created sunlight since the ash canopy is gone.
We have a host of other blights that are attacking our trees and invasive plants are out of control. I am not exaggerating in the least. If anything, it's actually much worse than I've described.
Our woods are a sick nightmare.