Ash borer/beatle

bargarguy · #1 10/05/06, 09:19 AM

Hi all,
I recently read an article of an on going problem here in Ohio on the Asian ash borer. It was transported to the Detroit area of Michigan from China and migrated in the last few years into northwest Ohio. What surprised me about this article is that it has now been identified in north central Ohio, and is expected to continue to spread. I guess my question to all here is has anyone lost a tree to this? Are there preventitive measures that can be taken to save a tree? I googled and found nothing on prevention. Another interesting statement in the article is that 10% of the trees here are ash, I find that hard to believe but if thats true then this will eventually be devastating to our state.

http://www.cleveland.com/search/inde...l?nohio&coll=2

Danaus29 · #2 10/05/06, 09:25 AM

I haven't lost any trees (mountain ash is not a real ash) but the ash borer has been a real problem just north of here. Grove City is planning on removing thousands of ash trees just to prevent the borer. Back in the 40's and 50's when a lot of planned developement was taking place the most common landscape tree was the ash tree. That is part of the problem, areas where there are hundreds upon hundreds of the same type of tree. There is some good news though. There is one subspecies of American Ash that appears to be resistant to the borers. More research needs to be done but so far it looks promising.

bargarguy · #3 10/05/06, 09:30 AM

Danaus29

The tree I am wanting to protect is a green ash, any knowledge of that species being resistant?

Danaus29 · #4 10/05/06, 09:47 AM

http://www.mortonarb.org/plantinfo/plantclinic/EAB.htm
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~news/story.php?id=179
http://oardcreport.osu.edu/environme...ojects-tackle/

All I'm finding now is the Manchurian Ash is more resistant. I spoke with some OSU researchers last summer who said there was some American Ash subspecies that was more resistant but I'm not finding that in any articles.

This site appears to be the best one for general and specific info, even has links to ash tree id sites and some useful treatment and prevention info:
http://ashalert.osu.edu/faq.asp?pageview=faq

But from what I'm finding, as of right now even if your tree is healthy and you have treated if rigorously, it may still be sacrificed to prevent borer spread if the borer is found near you.

bargarguy · #5 10/05/06, 10:00 AM

Hey Danuas
Thanks for the links, I guess they do not recommend preventitve insecticide use outside the quarantined area, I am still tempted to treat mine. I do realize it is exspensive to do so, but I would realy like to keep this tree.

Shadow · #6 10/05/06, 10:08 AM

Around the turn of the last century some one imported some chinese chestnuts, not knowing there was a virus on the roots that over the next couple of decades all but wiped out the American Chestnut. We lost. according to expert accounts 60 percent of all living trees in the eastern USA in just a few years.
Now we are loosing the butternut trees they are almost gone, they have died out completely around here.
Now the ash trees and so many other species of life here are affected by unwanted things being brought in from other countries.
The wife works for a company that has most of its product made in china and she says there are some really strange bugs found in the warehouse all the time.

Peacock · #7 10/05/06, 10:42 AM

About half my trees are green or white ash -- about 30 of them.

Sure is going to be a big bill if they die and have to be removed by a tree service.

Danaus29 · #8 10/05/06, 11:29 AM

They'll hire the tree butchers, Asplundh. The crew they had out here "trimming" trees out of the power lines were all Mexican, they couldn't even direct traffic in English. Supposedly the state will pay for the removal and disposal of infected trees.

arbutus · #9 10/05/06, 08:07 PM

I have lots of ash trees, but no evidence of infection. The ash trees near my parents house on the other side of the state have died or are in the process of being eaten.

Don't move ash products to your property and hope your neighbors do the same is the only remedy I know of.

seedspreader · #10 10/05/06, 09:23 PM

I really love ash. It's great wood for burning. I am sure hoping that they find some way of arresting it.

TheBlueOne · #11 10/06/06, 05:55 AM

I've got two BIG ash trees that will have to come down in the next few years, my sister has about a dozen that will have to come down. One of the reasons she bought her house was because it was in a wooded area; turns out it was an ash wooded area.
Check out
http://www.pestid.msu.edu/profiles/e...teab/index.htm and
http://www.emeraldashborer.info/ for more info.

vicki in NW OH · #12 10/06/06, 06:21 AM

We are pretty sure that the ash in mom's yard had the borer. My brother took it down last winter for firewood. Our county (Seneca) just got quarantined.

bargarguy · #13 10/06/06, 06:55 AM

Shadow
I think you touched on something extremely important. As the world becomes more and more an "international community" it would be nice to find a way(s) to eliminate transporting insects, pests, ect. from other regions and nations. Our nation has seen its share of invasive foreign species of insects, pests, vegatation, and even fish in recent history that have been devastating to our enviroment. I do realize that there are some measures already in place to attempt this very thing, but I think it is apparent that they are woefully inadequate.
Maybe even thinking about this is pointless, after all in most cases it would mean standing between big corporations and the almighty dollar.