One of North America's oldest ash trees is in the Grand Traverse county community of Williamsburg.
It’s over three hundred years old. The tree survives with the help of arborists, who inject it with insecticide every 3-4 years to protect it from the emerald ash borer.
Joe Aiken is the senior regional manager for Arborjet, which organized the most recent check-up. He said the tree has the potential to live another three hundred years.
“This tree here obviously gets a little bit more care because it's a national champion, but it's a pretty good site. It's been here for a long time. The site has not been disturbed. So as long as there's enough organic matter in the soil and the soil's healthy, who knows?” Aiken said.
Aiken says emerald ash borer will most likely be a problem for the rest of our lifetimes. He says the best way to preserve trees is to treat them.
