Emerald Ash Borer Damage?

Peacock · #1 07/25/09, 12:20 AM

I was just wondering, has anyone begun to see extensive damage from this insect yet? I'm not sure how widespread the infestation has been - I know it's been in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and maybe other areas; sure has been a big deal here in SW Ohio. Quarantines don't seem to be working very well, and it keeps spreading.

We medicated our trees with plugs, and it seems so far so good. I haven't seen much damage around here yet, though it's been documented in the area. I guess it takes a while to show up. We were visiting the Boy Scout camp where my son is staying this week in Clermont County, OH and for the first time we did see dying Ash trees.

Just curious to see how this is affecting other areas, and if medication/other prevention methods have worked.

LLAMA FARMA · #2 07/25/09, 07:25 AM

I know Ky is surveying the area we live in because there are these big purple cardboard looking things hanging from a lot of trees in our area. I also saw some while at Mommoth Caves while visiting. Not sure what they have found.

Jennifer L. · #3 07/25/09, 09:12 AM

It's in southwestern NYS now. I know they have traps in place north of me (northern NYS) but so far it isn't this far.

I dread the coming of them. When I was a kid the American Elms mostly died from Dutch Elm disease. Huge, beautiful old trees, gone everywhere. The only elms left now are ones that get to about 30-40' that then die of the disease, although many of them are old enough to seed a few years, first. Now the Ash will go, and this farm is mainly ash. I can't imagine what this place would look like with no trees to speak of. I'm hoping most of the damage is well into the future when I'm not around to see it.

Sure wish the government would consider this a national emergency and put the money in research to find ways to stop it.

Jennifer

vicki in NW OH · #4 07/25/09, 09:30 AM

It is pretty widespread up our way.

DaleK · #5 07/25/09, 09:37 AM

Officially it's about an hour west of us and moving east now, unofficially it's probably already here. They tried the firebreak route in SW Ontario but with typical bureaucracy they were a day late and a dollar short every where they tried. That was probably their only chance, in the areas where there are more open fields and less wooded areas. Now it's getting into the areas with miles upon miles of trees, like the county I live in with 1.5 million acres and only about 10% of that cleared land. It's just gonna spread and spread as it heads east.

ronbre · #6 07/25/09, 09:51 AM

where do you go about getting the plugs..? I have tons of ash trees

Peacock · #7 07/25/09, 03:59 PM

We used Acecap plugs. They can get expensive if you've got a lot of trees to treat - we had about 70 - but a lot cheaper than paying a tree service and a lot easier than sawing down a dead tree. I hope it works! It's widely available, just Google it.

Sawmill Jim · #8 07/25/09, 08:20 PM

People is one of the big causes of the spread .If the gurberment had caught fire wood haulers sneaking it around and shot them it would slowed it down a lot .

Or that is what i heard anyway

Michael W. Smith · #9 07/25/09, 09:12 PM

So far they just have the purple traps in our area and I haven't heard that they have caught any yet. But I'm sure they are coming.

The local state parks don't allow you to bring your own firewood in anymore, but with them being in Ohio, it's only a matter of time before they get here.

MN Gardener · #10 07/25/09, 09:42 PM

There was just a report on the News a few weeks ago and they have found some in St. Paul, MN

VT Chicklit · #11 07/25/09, 11:06 PM

My neighbor has a mountain ash tree that we think is infected. The tree is dieing and there are holes in the trunk of the tree. Unfortunately, they are lazy and they wont cut the tree down and burn it.

ronbre · #12 07/26/09, 09:05 AM

our ash tree is huge and has had babies everywhere..they are now about 40 feet tall and growing (the babies) and i'd hate to lose even one of them..the big girl..was hit by lightening several times and has had dead areas..hopefully there are no borers in it..but i should find the plugs and find out how to use them.

when you treat a tree, will it last for a while??

whistler · #13 07/26/09, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VT Chicklit

My neighbor has a mountain ash tree that we think is infected. The tree is dieing and there are holes in the trunk of the tree. Unfortunately, they are lazy and they wont cut the tree down and burn it.

Mountain Ash (members of the Sorbus genus) are not suceptible to Emerald Ash Borer. Only true Ash (members of the Fraxinus genus) can get EAB.

Mountain Ash are suceptible to many other diseases.

Whistler

Peacock · #14 07/26/09, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronbre

our ash tree is huge and has had babies everywhere..they are now about 40 feet tall and growing (the babies) and i'd hate to lose even one of them..the big girl..was hit by lightening several times and has had dead areas..hopefully there are no borers in it..but i should find the plugs and find out how to use them.

when you treat a tree, will it last for a while??

Depends on the source -- some say you have to treat every year, others, every 2-3 years. Go to www.treerx.com - they have some good info on the plugs.

haypoint · #15 07/26/09, 02:01 PM

"People is one of the big causes of the spread .If the gurberment had caught fire wood haulers sneaking it around and shot them it would slowed it down a lot . Or that is what i heard anyway"

The EAB came from China in some pallet lumber, to the Detroit area. There are several diseases and insects that bother the Ash trees. It took a few years before the EAB was identified. Attempts to learn about it from China were fruitless. It seems their government burned most of the printed word and EAB info went up in smoke decades ago.

Slowly the bug spread. However, Ash is a great campfire wood and the greatest number of people in Michigan live in the area of the first infestation. So, people were hauling the infested wood before anyone knew about EAB. By the time the Universities and Department of Ag figured out what it was and it's life cycle and how to control it's spread, it was already at many of the State's campgrounds. Then, the legislature had to create laws and regulations to halt the spread of EAB. Then the USDA had to funnel money to Michigan to have huge steps to limit the damage and slow the spread. Big job. Millions of Ash trees were cut and chipped up to kill the bug in the larval stage. Millions of acres were surveyed to locate infestations. Thousands of trees were girdled, to attract the EAB and then rechecked at summer's end. An inspection station was set up to halt the movement of ash logs, raw lumber and all firewood into Michigan's upper peninsula. This inspection station operated around the clock, 24/7.
However, the legislature isn't willing to take the same steps that Florida and California did to prevent introduction of citrus into their state. No one is popping car trunks or rummaging through camper storage areas on every vehicle. Compliance is mostly voluntary. So far it has been mostly successful in preventing the spread into the U.P.

Those purple triangles are there to collect insects. After the summer is over, they will be pulled down and checked for EAB, and other pests.

As people continue to speed the spread of EAB, the USDA is losing interest in it's fight to control it. Funds are drying up.

The EAB larva makes an S shaped tunnel just under the bark, in that single cell layer that feeds the tree. When it comes out, hatches, it leaves a D shaped exit hole. Your tree is likely infected if it is sending out new branches down low, while branches up top are dying.

Treatment is by way of chemical injection thru the bark. Expensive so far. Currently the only economical treatment is cutting infected trees, plus every ash tree in a mile circle around the infection, then running them thru a chipper.

By the way, China does not allow any other countries to ship products to China using untreated wood. They want to protect their environment from outside pests.

ronbre · #16 07/26/09, 05:23 PM

i just looked up the site online..as it appears we may have a problem with a couple of ash trees on our property..i will call them for more info thanks..bre

cfabe · #17 07/26/09, 05:37 PM

In my area (Saginaw county) we have pretty heavy damage from the ash borer. The trees usually start to die off up top, and tons of new sprouts come out of the trunk. It looks really obvious that something is wrong with the tree. Seems to take a few years for the tree to die completelty. I have some on my property that I'm going to be cutting for firewood this summer. Luckily, they most of the trees around my house are pine and maple so it will not be a big impact. The bug is already well established here so I am not chipping the trees, just using them for firewood here on my property.

ronbre · #18 07/27/09, 11:27 AM

does anyone know if once the tops start to die the tree can be saved with the plugs?

cfabe · #19 07/27/09, 12:50 PM

The best you can do with treatment is stop the damage, the dead parts of the tree will never recover. They are dead because the bug has eaten the tissue that conveyed sap to that portion of the tree, and this cannot re-grow. If you trim the dead back the tree may survive long term, but will always be damaged and look strange. The dead wood may rot and lead to structural problems down the road. Best to just cut it down in my opinion.