Grow Your Own, Nevada! Spring 2013: Insects & Other Garden Pests
Emerald Ash Borer and Your Community
1. Emerald Ash Borer and
Your Community:
What You Can Do Now
Mollie Freilicher
Eric Seaborn
MA-DCR Urban
& Community Forestry
MA Tree Steward Training
Harvard Forest,
October 19, 2012
2. Things we know
• Emerald ash borer is
here.
• Emerald ash borer
kills trees
• Emerald ash borer
can be expensive
• We should prepare
for its arrival now
3. Emerald Ash Borer
• Beetle in Buprestideae family
• Typically bright, metallic, emerald green
color overall, with the elytra usually appearing
somewhat duller and slightly darker green.
Purple on abdominal segments under wing
covers.
• Approximately ½ inch long. Larger than most
of our native Buprestids
• Very detailed ID guide:
www.emeraldashborer.info under ―About EAB‖
4. EAB in North America
• 2002 first detected in Michigan and Ontario
• 2003 Maryland, Virginia, Ohio
• Continues to spread
• Currently in 18 states
– Fast spread—10 years
– Firewood
5.
6. Egg
about to
Mate & lay hatch
Eggs eggs
Adults present
through August
Eggs hatch & larvae
EAB bore into cambium
and feed from July –
Adults emerge Life October. Overwinter in
Cycle outer inch of wood as
May-June prepupae.
~April
Prepupae
Pupate
Pupa
Late pupae
8. Ash Trees in Massachusetts
Municipalities
• For most New England communities, the
dominant tree type in communities is maple
• Ash trees comprise an average 5% of street
trees
• In some communities the percentage could
be greater
• Do you know how much ash is in your
community?
9. EAB Impacts on
Municipalities
• EAB kills ash trees
– Green and white ash
are common urban
trees
• Dead and dying trees
can create hazardous
conditions as limbs
drop and the tree
decays—happens
quickly!
• Removal is costly
• Treatment is costly
10. Be Ready for EAB—
Why it’s Important
• We know EAB is coming
and can be prepared with a
response plan
• With a plan in place, the
cost and loss can be spread
over a longer period of
time
• Community officials and
residents can be prepared
and ready to act
• Coordination with
surrounding communities
may be possible
11. What Can You Do Now?
• Educate yourself on ash identification and
identification of signs and symptoms of EAB
– Report suspected findings of EAB to state or federal
officials: www.massnrc.org/pests or the federal EAB
hotline 1-866-322-4512 or through the Invasive
Species app.
• Monitor for signs and symptoms of EAB
– Do you know how many ash trees you have or where
they are located?
– Is pest monitoring part of your routine tree
management?
• Develop a plan to respond to EAB
12. What is an EAB Response Plan?
• Written document outlining objectives and
approaches to address and mitigate the
impact of EAB on the urban forest
• Allows the
community
to respond
with
timeliness
and order
13. Parts of a Response Plan
• Administration
• Brief public officials
• Conduct an inventory
• Education and outreach
• Update or enact ordinances
• Wood utilization and disposal
• Replanting
• Coordinate and form partnerships
• Budget
• Impacts of EAB on general urban forest
management
14. Parts of a Response Plan
1. Administration
– Who will be in charge of the EAB
response?
– A person with urban forestry experience
would be a good choice
•Tree warden, arborist, forester,
landscape professional
– Coordinate with state and federal officials
15. Parts of a Response Plan
2. Briefing public officials
– Make public officials aware of EAB and
the potential concerns and costs for the
community
– Set a regular schedule for informing
officials of the status of the infestation
and response
16. Parts of a Response Plan
3. Conduct an Inventory
– Inventory all public trees (and private trees
that could impact public property, if
possible)
– Inventory only ash trees if time or resources
do not allow a complete inventory
• Understand what is at stake in your
community
• Estimate costs of removal or treatment
• If community has lots of ash trees, may
want to proactively begin removing poor
condition ash trees
17. Parts of a Response Plan
4.Education & Outreach
– Let residents know how they might be
affected, what they can do, who they
can call
– Use different resources: newspaper,
presentations, internet
– Volunteers may be able to assist with
inventory or outreach
– Train town and municipal employees to
identify ash and signs and symptoms of
EAB infestation
18. Parts of a Response Plan
5. Update or enact ordinances
– Related to infested/diseased trees or wood
– To limit movement of firewood
– Promote tree preservation to maintain tree
population and canopy
– Clarify actions for public or private trees that
endanger the public
– Some ordinances related to Dutch Elm
Disease may address some of these issues,
but not all
– Enact or modify ordinances to be broad
enough to address future pests
19. Parts of a Response Plan
6. Wood utilization and disposal
– Identify where the wood will go
• Mulch, lumber, cogeneration
– Movement will be restricted by
quarantine
– Identify potential staging areas for
wood processing
– Train employees and businesses that
utilize trees on proper handling of ash
20. Parts of a Response Plan
7. Replanting
– Replant vacant sites now
– Replant with an eye toward diversity
– Use your inventory, if present, to inform
choices
– Ask MA Urban & Community Forestry
Program for guidance
– Grants available for replanting (MA-DCR
Urban and Community Forestry
Challenge Grants)
21. Parts of a Response Plan
8. Coordinate and form
partnerships
– Identify other departments,
communities, local groups, and state
and federal officials that you will be able
to work with to share information and
resources
22. Parts of a Response Plan
9. Budget
– Project budget costs
– Removal
– Treatment
– Wood utilization or disposal
– Use EAB cost calculator to estimate
project costs for different courses of
action
(http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/tree
computer/)
23. Parts of a Response Plan
10. Impacts of EAB response on
general urban forest
management
– Responding to EAB will shift resources
away from day-to-day management
– Identify how work will be prioritized in
light of EAB
24. Response Scenarios
• Removal and replacement of all ash
• Removal and replacement as funds allow
• Removal of some trees, treatment of other
trees until they can be removed (buy some
time)
• Removal of some trees, treatment of some
trees to prevent damage and preserve trees
indefinitely, treatment of some trees until
they can be removed
• Treatment of all trees
25. Considerations
• Cost
– Treatment application $3-$10 per DBH inch
(Central NY Estimate)
– Removal can cost hundreds to over a
thousand dollars
• Liability and safety
• Aesthetics / Benefits of trees
26. Chemical Treatment
• Best for trees that are
still relatively healthy
• Trees with light
infestation may not
show signs
• Prioritize treatment for
historic, significant, or
otherwise important
trees MJIphotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/capturingwonder
• If your trees are located in a
quarantine or within 10-15 miles, they
are probably at risk
27. Insecticides for Treatment
• Check resources for up to
date information on
effectiveness and options
– Insecticide Options for
Protecting Ash Trees from
Emerald Ash Borer
publication online
– Emeraldashborer.info
30. Replanting
• Replant non-susceptible
species (non-ash)
• Start planting now
• Improve diversity
• Use inventory to guide
planting
• 10-20-30 guideline
– No more than 10% of a
species
– No more than 20% of a genus
– No more than 30% of a family
31. Some Replanting Selections
Kousa dogwood
Kentucky
coffeetree
Littleleaf linden
White oak
Fringetree
Dawn redwood
Sweetgum
32. Replanting
• Volunteer events
– May be good for
groupings of trees, as in
a park or common or
other defined area
• Contract planting
– Good for street trees
• DPW / Tree Department
plantings
– Street and park trees
33. Working With Local Groups
• Local tree groups, garden clubs, or other
citizen groups may be able to assist with
conducting an inventory, monitoring for EAB,
organizing a tree planting, or creating
educational programs
• Many infestations of EAB have been detected
by regular citizens, not professionals
• Your community may already have people
willing and able to help
34. When EAB Arrives
• If you have a plan, put it into place and start
responding
• Contact your urban & community forestry
program for any additional guidance
• Be aware of unscrupulous folks who may
descend on your community from out of
town to ―help‖ with your ash trees. As after a
storm, EAB can cause many ―arborists‖ to
come out of the woodwork.
“New scam targets alleged tree
removal due to emerald ash
borer”—WTAQ Wisconsin, 8/14/12
35. What You Can Do Now
• Educate yourself on ash identification
and signs and symptoms of EAB
– Report suspected findings of EAB to
federal or state officials
• Monitor for signs and symptoms of EAB
• Develop a plan to respond to EAB
• Contact MA-DCR Urban & Community
Forestry Program
