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  • From: Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp <hoosiergardener@earthlink.net>
  • To: gardenwriters-on-gardening <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [gwl-g] Emerald Ash Borer
  • Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 05:01:00 -0500

Title: Re: [gwl-g] Emerald Ash Borer
I did a column in The Indianapolis Star a few months back about the emerald ash borer and most arborist-types are saying there's nothing we can do except try to keep the ash trees healthy. Indiana has more than 147 million ash, including one in my back yard.

Injection of pesticides is not recommended, by Indiana experts. The hope lies with science in finding or developing a control. The column ran in Nov. 8, 2003 in The Star. I've included it below.

These kinds of natural episodes remind us about the importance of plant diversity in our landscapes.

This shows what the adult borer looks like.
http://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/ashborer.adult.jpeg

This photo shows the distinctive D-ring.
http://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/ashborer.damage.jpeg

These photos show what damaged ash trees look like
http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=4213092
http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1460076

A natural disaster is boring its way to Indiana.
        The emerald ash borer - discovered in 2002 in Michigan - has destroyed at least 600,000 ash trees in the Detroit-Windsor, Ont., area, and just this past summer, was spotted in Defiance County, Ohio, two miles from the Indiana border.
       Teams of state bug and tree experts have been monitoring ash trees in 13 northeastern Indiana counties, but have found no signs of the metallic coppery green insect that is only about 1/3 of an inch long. However, they think the emerald ash borer will be in northeast Indiana by next spring.
There's reason to be concerned. White, green, blue, red and black ashes <IT>(Fraxinus)<RO> are native and Indiana has at least 147 million of them in forests and as street and shade trees. The tallest tree in my landscape is a green ash <IT>(Fraxinus pennsylvanica)<RO>, a gift from my friend, Linda, and planted in 1990.
The threat of the emerald ash borer is similar to what happened to elms, which long ago were common in the American landscape. Elm trees were killed by Dutch elm disease, leaving many communities nearly treeless.
The borer's presence is difficult to detect because the insect is tiny and the signs are high in the canopy, said Pam Louks, urban forestry coordinator at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Forestry Division.
The damage is done by the larvae of the emerald ash borer <IT>(Agrilus planipennis)<RO>, which burrow into the bark and eat through the cambium, which is made up of cells that conduct food and water. Within three years of infestation, the top third of the tree dies from starvation. Another telltale sign is a distinctive D-shaped hole that shows where the borer exited a trunk or branch.
Ashes are among the toughest in nature, but once the signs are noticed, the tree is a goner, Louks said.
There are no known natural predators for the borers, which are native to China, Korea and Japan. The insect likely entered the country in shipping materials.
There is an injectible pesticide that is somewhat effective in inoculating ash trees, but it is expensive, about $20 a dose, and it is not known how long the insecticide remains effective against emerald ash borers. Inoculations should be considered only for ash trees in areas of imminent threat, state officials said.
Louks said homeowners should not panic.
Scientists are working to develop pesticides and other controls, but right now the best protection is to keep your trees healthy, Louks said. Water them during dry spells and in winter, apply a granular all-purpose fertilizer according to label directions. Healthy trees are better able to fend off infestations, especially if an effective insecticide is found.
 "We're not telling people not to plant ash, just to keep them healthy," she said. Homeowners and landscapers also should make sure they plant a diversity of trees so that if one species is adversely affected, others will remain healthy and strong, she said.

For more information, visit these Web sites:
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/hp/Sadof.emeraldash.html
www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/eab/
www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125--65294--,00.html
www.emeraldashborer.info/

jems
Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp
Garden writer, speaker, photographer
Director, Region III Garden Writers Association
Phone: 317.251.3261
Fax: 317.251.8545
E-mail: hoosiergardener@earthlink.net



Ohio posts emerald ash borer site Ohio St. Univ. launched a Web site <http://ashalert.osu.edu>  to help growers and home gardeners learn more about emerald ash borer, a voracious beetle threatening ash trees in the Midwest. The site provides background info, news, photo galleries, fact sheets, research reports and a list of contacts and links. A clickable map gives up-to-date information on the status of EAB infestations in Ohio and eradication efforts implemented by Ohio Dept. of Ag.

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