EAB in West Virginia

EAB in West Virginia

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TOPIC: EAB in WV
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/b8ea34bf9db471f5?hl=en
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== 1 of 8 ==
Date: Tues, Nov 27 2007 7:41 am
From: "Neil Pederson"

**
Dear ENTS,

Sorry if this was already discussed and I missed [and sorry to the bad
news], but a student just sent this to me.

Neil

http://www.wvagriculture.org/news_releases/2007/10-19-07.html

*EMERALD ASH BORER FOUND IN WEST VIRGINIA*

Emerald ash borer (EAB), a highly destructive, non-native beetle that
attacks ash trees, has been found in Fayette County, according to
Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass.

An EAB larva was discovered in a "trap tree" that had been prepared by the
West Virginia Department of Agriculture's Plant Industries Division to
survey for the beetle, which has been found previously in surrounding
states.

Trap trees are intentionally damaged to provide an attractive tree for the
beetles to inhabit, if they are present. The survey programs are funded by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service (USDA-FS) and Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service - Plant Protection and Quarantine
(USDA-APHIS-PPQ).

WVDA Plant Industries Division Director Gary W. Gibson thanked the USDA for
its assistance and cooperation during the time spent surveying for the
insect and was especially pleased with how quickly the USDA-APHIS-PPQ made
the final determination that the larva was that of the EAB.

Now, state and federal plant regulatory officials begin the process of
looking more closely at the site where the beetle was found in order to
determine how much ash is growing in the area and how large the infestation
is.

"We were surprised to find the beetle this far south, because the closest
known areas of infestation are in Ohio and Pennsylvania. I thought our
first find would be in the Northern Panhandle," said Gibson.

The emerald ash borer is believed to have been introduced into the U.S. in
wood packing material from China. It was first identified in Michigan and
has since spread to Indiana, Ohio Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Only species
of ash are hosts for the beetle, which usually kill infested trees within a
couple of years. The movement of EAB-infested firewood is an important
pathway for moving the beetle and is believed to be how the insect found its
way to Fayette County.

== 2 of 8 ==
Date: Tues, Nov 27 2007 8:24 am
From: "Will Blozan"

Bummer,

So wholesale slaughter of surrounding trees doesn't work to contain it (as
in MD)? Of course not- it never has yet this "busy work" technique is still
employed. Seems to me, a flying, windborne, or people-transported pest will
scoff at any attempts to contain it. Seems like the millions upon millions
our Gov't must spend to deal with these pest would be better spent keeping
them out in the first place.

http://www.mda.state.md.us/article.php?i=4875

Ash trees can easily be saved with insecticide intervention (same as HWA).
Why not treat the trees in people's yards instead of removal? This idea
baffles me. Anyone know a justifiable reason to kill a tree at vastly more
expense than saving it? If I owned an ash someone would have a hard time
cutting it down against my will!

Will

== 3 of 8 ==
Date: Tues, Nov 27 2007 11:08 am
From: "Jess Riddle"

The general rational for cutting versus treating is that no treatment
is 100% effective. If even two EAB survive, they can perpetuate and
spread the infestation.

== 4 of 8 ==
Date: Tues, Nov 27 2007 11:16 am
From: "Will Blozan"

Yeah, but I doubt anyone truly has the delusion of 100% wiping out EAB by
eliminating its food source. Insecticides will accomplish they same intended
result, but the tree will still be there.

== 5 of 8 ==
Date: Tues, Nov 27 2007 12:32 pm
From: dbhguru

Will,

I think I can give one reason why cutting is chosen over treating. Part of our society cultivates the attitude that trees exist just for the wood the trees hold toward supporting a wood products industry. This part of society defies the rest of us finding other values in trees. Small town tree wardens often secretly (or not so secretly) hold the utilitarian view. School of forestry academics often cultivate a strictly product oriented view of trees. This mindset usually translates to cutting instead of treating regardless of the situation. For example, the mediocre, one track mindset of the Massachusetts Bureau of Forestry was behind a preemptive cut of hemlocks on the Holyoke Range State Park. The Bureau doesn't want the public to adopt a preservationst, protectionist attitude toward trees. They pretend otherwise, but in truth, they're focus is entirely on wood products with perhaps a nod toward game animal biology. Their entire skill set is limited to cutting. Treating and
preserving is not something they readily seek to do.

Bob

== 6 of 8 ==
Date: Tues, Nov 27 2007 2:07 pm
From: ForestRuss@aol.com

ENTS:

How we are going to deal with EAB in WV is part of the focus of a training
session for foresters we are holding on December 13.

Anyone interested the meeting infromation is welcome to attend.

I can forward an agenda.

Russ Richardson

== 7 of 8 ==
Date: Tues, Nov 27 2007 2:17 pm
From: ForestRuss@aol.com

ENTS:

I have been concerned about the arrival of EAB for quite a while. Because
white ash is only about a 3% component in our forest pure stands are extremely
uncommon. The trees tend to grow as individuals and sometimes make up as
much as a third of the woods but that is rare.

My most serious concern is for the gaps that are created by the wholesale
death of thousands of individual trees across the landscape. We had a preview
of such an event with devastating ice storm in 2003. In most places the gaps
and openings created by the deaths of trees from the ice storm were too
small to create the type of openings normally associated with healthy natural
regeneration or heavy logging. In thousands of those acres the gaps filled up
with Japanese stiltgrass and it has rapidly spread into the woods as a whole.

I have been marking timber sales for three years anticipating the bugs
arrival and understanding light gaps has become a focus of interest for me.

It is almost certain it arrived in New River Gorge on some firewood some
white water rafter brought from home in Michigan or Ohio.

Russ

== 8 of 8 ==
Date: Tues, Nov 27 2007 6:53 pm
From: DON BERTOLETTE

Will-
As a fellow ex-parkie (retired, May 2007), I share your concerns about invasives. The big nasty for SW Parks is the anticipated arrival or presence of the quagga mussel...has been a problem with the Great Lakes for some time but now on the move west...it's now moving down the lower Colorado, and the Park biologists are very much on heightend alert, with multiple water bodies attracting the populations of the West's largest cities and their inexorable thirst for river/lake recreational opportunities...just one boat's worth of the quagga mussel and an ecosystems health is threatened!
By the way, the EAB was known to fellow colleagues of mine at UMASS as far back as the late 80's, I recall attending a thesis defense...
-BDon

==============================================================================
TOPIC: EAB analysis
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/c2e7ea9974c63cb8?hl=en
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== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Tues, Nov 27 2007 8:35 am
From: "Will Blozan"

ENTS,

Here is a slide show about EAB and whether to treat or cut. I thought it
would be helpful but realized they neglected two major points:

1) Imidacloprid lasts more than 1 year (and there are cheaper sources than
those quoted)

2) EAB infestation pressure will drastically decrease (eliminate) WELL
before 40 years from now!

http://www.emeraldashborer.info/files/ToReplantorProtectAsh_files/frame.htm

==============================================================================
TOPIC: EAB in WV
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/b8ea34bf9db471f5?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Mon, Dec 3 2007 4:19 pm
From: Matthew Hannum

The suburb in southern New Jersey in which I grew up has beautiful
streets lined with a mix of hardwood trees. In some areas, white ash
makes up as much as 1/2 of the street trees. The ash trees are about
40 years old now, and cast nice shade along the tree and turn a solid
yellow color in the fall, and when I was growing up, I always loved
how our development had such big, healthy trees shading it.

It is sad to consider that they are all effectively doomed;
eventually, the EAB will reach that region of New Jersey and kill them
all, stripping away the street trees and destroying one of the finest
examples of how to properly design suburb tree plantings that I've
ever seen. I always liked the area where I grew up in that I've seen
very few surburbs designed with so many large shade trees integrated
into the landscape, barring those woodland subdivisions where most of
the trees are left behind. Most subdivisions down here in Maryland
seem to have lost many of their trees over the years, never had much
in the way of large shade trees, or follow the modern mindset of
"McFlora" with tiny, gaudy and unnaturally colorful, ornamental trees,
like Bradford Pears, overloads of Japanese Maple, freakish purple
Norway Maples... anything but a strong, green, and healthy shade tree.

It'll be sad when those ash trees back home die. My parents witnessed
the effects of Dutch Elm Disease, and will be disheartened to see a
similar event all over again.

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