An Update on Emerald Ash Borer Damage Prevention Efforts
The Emerald Ash Borer has the ability to affect millions of trees. Photo by Genevieve Adamski

An Update on Emerald Ash Borer Damage Prevention Efforts

Around campus many students might have seen trees with tape around them signifying a specific ash tree is infected with the emerald ash borer insect.

The emerald ash borer, while small can make a huge impact. At about half inch long, smaller than an American penny this metallic green beetle has the power to possibly take down entire forests of ash trees.

Ash trees make about 6.8 percent of Wisconsin’s forests and a total of about 834 million ash trees in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource website. There are four species of ash trees: white ash, green ash, black ash being the most common species, and blue ash. 

When the emerald ash borer is in the larva stage in life it will feed on the inner bark of the trees, by doing this it interrupts the trees ability to supply water and nutrients to itself.

An emerald ash borer. Photo by USDA Department of Agriculture

An emerald ash borer. Photo by USDA Department of Agriculture

Physical signs of an infected ash are thinning of the bark, the upper canopy of the tree starts to die,  water will sprout along the trunks and branches, D-shaped holes will be present in the tree signifying insect exit holes, and feeding areas in an S-shape under dead or splitting bark.

When asked his thoughts on how the ash borer is still a local threat, Professor of urban forestry, Richard Hauer said, “The population of the insect is still in the building stage.”

“The insect was identified last year and when first identified the emerald ash borer had probably already been there for maybe three for four years. After this amount of time the population starts to become larger and larger, and we are about three or four years away from this insect becoming an epidemic,” said Hauer.

Even though the insect is not at its peak, it is slowly building in population, Hauer said, “when the population does become at an epidemic stage we will lose a huge portion of the ash population.”

An ash tree’s wood is known for high elasticity and strength which is used in baseball bats, tool handles, bows and many other items used for durability, the green ash is also a popular member of wetland areas, and many animals will feed from them.

While the insect itself is slow spreading, it can easily move to new areas and multiply quickly. 

When asked about the possibility of the trees being removed Hauer explained that a plan to replace ash trees over the next 20 years was brought about last year for the preemptive removal of the ash trees.  

Hauer also explained that the trees have been treated with a chemical which kills the insects if they are present in the ash tree.

As of now there is no definitive cure for the emerald ash borer, but simple first steps such as identifying infected ash trees can help with quickly destroy dead or infected before the beetle can expand to other areas. This step can save many ash trees in the area as well as all of Wisconsin and the United States.

 

Kirby Lichon

Reporter

klich261@uwsp.edu

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