Emerald Ash Borer

[dave1949]

Does anyone have a stand of ash trees infested with EAB? It is not in this area yet, but they say it's just a matter of time.

What mortality rates are you seeing? Is the wood much affected by the boring?

Some areas of my lot are 30%-40% ash, I would like to plan ahead a bit if it gets here.

Thanks, Dave.

 

[Tig]

I'm in cottage country two hours from our largest city. EAB is there and I expect it's in the firewood is coming this way every weekend in the summer. Makes me regret the decision years back to plant ash. I now plant maple.
I did cut and burn one small tree this fall. It was sick all year but I could not see the EAB signs that I read about apart from the sparse foliage. I did not check the wood.

 

[beenthere]

Don't have it (yet), and have been managing my forest for the white ash for 40 years. Now, I am cutting beautiful ash for firewood.
Actually makes good firewood, as the trees are 12 - 18" dbh, and no limbs to about 70 feet up. Straight as an arrow, and little taper.

I think it is unfortunate that firewood movement has been getting the bad rap of being the "mover" of EAB. I don't believe it.
And the Gov't effort since finding EAB in MI in "? 2003 ?" has been to quarantine the area and try to eliminate all the ash trees in that area. But, the experts admit that the EAB has been there for maybe 4 years before it manifests itself in dead/dying ash trees. And there have been no signs that these quarantine procedures have been the least bit effective. Go figure. Firewood quarantine is just a Gov't knee-jerk reaction to say "we are doing something about it". They don't have a clue. IMO.
If EAB were moved by firewood, then movement of logs and pulpwood should also be limited (but the Gov't is not about to tell those two industries that they cannot move their logs and pulpwood).

End of rant.

 

[Travelover]

It has marched through lower Michigan and I can say that it has killed nearly every ash. I lost at least 6 trees just on my 1.5 acre lot. Once the tree dies, the bark just peels off and slides to the ground.

 

[dave1949]

I don't know about the firewood quarantines either, I doubt that will stop it. I would guess the bugs and eggs get around in a number of ways.

My lot was cut over in 1999-2000, so it is at the point where it's time to start managing it if I am going to. When I look around at the ash stands and think it could all be dead in 10-12 years, makes me wonder what to do. For now, I think when there is a choice, I'll favor a maple or oak over the ash. It's a shame for sure.

As long as the wood doesn't get punky, I suppose its always good for firewood. Ash burns well and seasons quickly at least.

The forest is taking a beating and has for over a 150 years now if you go back to the American chestnuts, then elms. Most of my beech has the bark disease in it, which ruins the wood eventually. My black cherry has the black knot disease, we are on the fringe of black cherry range here, so they are always ugly crooked stems anyways.
Dave.

 

[Tig]

Around here, it seems that EAB has hopped from city to city. It seems to have passed us by for now. It's not commercial loggers I am concerned about it's the guy who grabs a trailer of wood from "that dead tree they cut down" and brings it to the campsite to burn in next summer's campfire. I can see a pile out my window right now. This stuff is not ash but I'm certain the guy who moved it has no clue what it is.

 

[dave1949]

Around here, it seems that EAB has hopped from city to city. It seems to have passed us by for now. It's not commercial loggers I am concerned about it's the guy who grabs a trailer of wood from "that dead tree they cut down" and brings it to the campsite to burn in next summer's campfire. I can see a pile out my window right now. This stuff is not ash but I'm certain the guy who moved it has no clue what it is.

That's an interesting observation about hopping from city to city. No doubt the firewood haulers do play a role in spreading EAB longer distances. Even without them, it will spread naturally once it is present I think.

We have many thousands of second/summer homes in Maine owned by folks in Mass., New Jersey, NY, Conn., etc. The potential for moving in infested wood is huge. The commercial loggers are generally hauling wood across the county or shorter distances.

Dave.

 

[bp fick]

Dave, The EAB decimated the entire area of S.E. Michigan, because this is where it landed, of course. A shipping crate from Asia at the docks, I believe.

The little "volunteers" that come up in alleys, fence rows, gardens, etc were important to me and I nursed a dozen little ash trees and have replanted them. I kinda figure the borer has now moved on. Fire wood moving bans or not, this guy won't be stopped, imo.

Our old neighborhood was a stereotype street with huge, mature trees lining and making a canopy over the streets. By 2005, it looked like an atomic bomb was dropped. The barren landscape was shocking.

This is worse or as bad as the Dutch Elm disease of my youth.

I'm a tree planter. These events have scarred me, in a way, and my response is to plant, plant, plant with bio diversity.

 

[Dargo]

I realized a couple of my Ash trees were in trouble when I noticed some beautiful redheaded woodpeckers drilling the heck out of them last winter. The trees were dead this last summer. Here is one source to give you info on battling what seems to be a futile battle Treatment Information | Emerald Ash Borer Information Network

 

[Tig]

I reviewed the treatments when I first became aware of EAB. In the end I decided that I preferred the biodiversity approach. It's less of an ongoing battle. I'm upping my percentage of maple and staying conservative in my softwood cleanup. I even have an elm that I'm defending from the beaver.
The camp next to me is at least 90% ash. Solar power in winter may become feasible once the EAB changes that place from a forest to a field.

 

[dave1949]

Dave, The EAB decimated the entire area of S.E. Michigan, because this is where it landed, of course. A shipping crate from Asia at the docks, I believe.

The little "volunteers" that come up in alleys, fence rows, gardens, etc were important to me and I nursed a dozen little ash trees and have replanted them. I kinda figure the borer has now moved on. Fire wood moving bans or not, this guy won't be stopped, imo.

This is worse or as bad as the Dutch Elm disease of my youth.

I'm a tree planter. These events have scarred me, in a way, and my response is to plant, plant, plant with bio diversity.

That's the way I think everytime I see an elm. We do have elms here that come from seed, they reach about 10" DBH max and then start dieing. I am always thinking someday one of them will have a natural resistance to Dutch Elm and make it. So, I never cut one until I see it is dieing.

Your ash experience confirms the horror stories we have been reading about. I thought it would be interesting to hear some first-hand accounts too.
Dave.

 

[dave1949]

I realized a couple of my Ash trees were in trouble when I noticed some beautiful redheaded woodpeckers drilling the heck out of them last winter. The trees were dead this last summer. Here is one source to give you info on battling what seems to be a futile battle Treatment Information | Emerald Ash Borer Information Network

Thanks for the link. I haven't had time to read it yet, but I will. As long as the dead trees aren't a danger, they do make good habitat for nesting birds, flying squirrels, etc. after the wood peckers.

If you have pileated woodpeckers in your area, they are awesome hole makers. They sound like a little jack hammer when they work on something solid. They are about the size of a chicken pullet, and have a call that you think should come from the jungle. Around here, they are after carpenter ants for the most part, so I cheer them on. I don't know if they hear or taste the presence of ants deep in the heart of a tree. I know if they go deep into a tree, it is full of ants.
Dave.

 

[300UGUY]

Does anyone have a stand of ash trees infested with EAB? It is not in this area yet, but they say it's just a matter of time.

What mortality rates are you seeing? Is the wood much affected by the boring?

Some areas of my lot are 30%-40% ash, I would like to plan ahead a bit if it gets here.

Thanks, Dave.

I was asked to help my bil a couple years ago, he lives in Plymouth, Mi. I was stunned - I never thought a pest would kill every single tree. He must of had 20 trees, all ash trees, all dead. I know it's a limited sample, but the mortality rate that I have seen is 100%. The emerald ash borer thrives in our climate, and has no enemies. The outside layer of wood looks like a sponge, tiny holes thruout. Makes good firewood.

 

[zzvyb6]

There is a company right here in Brighton, MI that is breeding a wasp-like critter that is the natural enemy of the EAB. Michigan State University has also found some success as I recall with some kind of trap (that is emerald colored ! ). You might want to search around for contacts to get these countermeasures. Its pretty devastating.

 

[ToadHill]

I made my living for several years as an Arborist and I can give you a bit of info on EAB. The insect only travels about 3 miles per year unless it gets a ride on wood that is transported from one area to another.

It lays it's egg in the bark crevises and the larva hatch. They bore into the cabmium layer of the tree and carve tunnels through the xylem and phloem that prevent the movement of nutrients and water through the tree. They don't bore into hardwood, only about 1 inch or less into the sap wood.

There are chemical applications that can be made to kill the larva but they are very expensive and can't be applied to large plantings doe to cost.

The ash logs can be moved from woods to sawmill during the months of October to March when the larva are inactive and the beetles are dead. The mills have to chip the bark and the first 1 inch of wood inlo chips less than 1/2 inch or burn it to be allowed to process Ash logs.

I hope they can find a natural predetor for this insect, but I still want to know why the US Department of Agriculture does not require that products imported into the country come in on treated wood pallets like most European countries require.

 

[dave1949]

I made my living for several years as an Arborist and I can give you a bit of info on EAB. The insect only travels about 3 miles per year unless it gets a ride on wood that is transported from one area to another.

It lays it's egg in the bark crevises and the larva hatch. They bore into the cabmium layer of the tree and carve tunnels through the xylem and phloem that prevent the movement of nutrients and water through the tree. They don't bore into hardwood, only about 1 inch or less into the sap wood.

There are chemical applications that can be made to kill the larva but they are very expensive and can't be applied to large plantings doe to cost.

The ash logs can be moved from woods to sawmill during the months of October to March when the larva are inactive and the beetles are dead. The mills have to chip the bark and the first 1 inch of wood inlo chips less than 1/2 inch or burn it to be allowed to process Ash logs.

I hope they can find a natural predetor for this insect, but I still want to know why the US Department of Agriculture does not require that products imported into the country come in on treated wood pallets like most European countries require.

Thanks for the detailed info. It sounds like, for all practical purposes, the ash is about worthless once it is infested. Maybe a reasonable source of wood pellets where the whole tree is ground up anyways.

Forestry is all new to me. Never owned enough trees to think about it until we bought this lot. I have lots to learn for sure. I am still wading through even-aged stands, selective cuts, site appropriate species, indicator plants, yadda yadda. Our lot was harvested about 10 yrs. ago by a fellow who buys land, cuts anything marketable, then sells. Timber liquidator is the less kind term. He did leave plenty for regeneration at least. At 60 yrs. old, I don't think I need to worry too much about getting any harvests off it I would like to encourage some areas to make valuable trees though if I can.

I have no clue about the pallet issues. Certainly lots of pests have been distributed all over the world. It could be our embarrassment of riches in this country that we don't worry about such things until we get a 2x4 between the eyes.
Dave.

 

[DocHeb]

Around me the mortality is 100% for trees > 3". A few trees will try regrowth, but it will only last a year and the tree is gone.

The latest is the Asian Longhorn Beetle - this one is non-selective - and we're in trouble.