NorthWoods' Conservation Science
Department Joins Fight Against EAB
April 28, 2011

“Expect to find Emerald Ash Borer—it’s probably already here.”

On Tuesday, April 19, in White River Junction, US Forest Service entomologist Nate Siegert presented information about the pest he called “the most destructive forest insect in North America.” His audience was mainly foresters—professionals familiar with the devastation caused by Dutch elm disease and the American chestnut blight—gathered in White River Junction for the Vermont Department of Forest Parks and Recreation’s annual Forest Health Information conference.

Usually an overview of forest health issues in the state, this year’s program instead focused almost entirely on one looming threat – emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), referred to as EAB. The take home message from this year’s conference: if you aren’t worried about EAB, then you don’t understand it! 

EAB is an invasive exotic beetle that infests ash trees by boring into the stem and laying eggs which hatch and feed, eventually killing the tree as the infestation spreads.

In areas infested in southeast Michigan, the beetle has killed 100% of all ash trees over 2-inch diameter. 

EAB was first noticed in Michigan in 2002, but researchers think that it was introduced to the state from China sometime around 1995.  By the time it was discovered, the infestation was already widespread.

After the 2002 discovery, Michigan quarantined 6 counties around the infested areas, yet by 2004 EAB was found throughout the state.  By 2010 it had reached 14 states (including eastern NY)—and southern Quebec about 30 miles north of Vermont. 

Potentially Disastrous Infestation Looms; Local Control Efforts Ramp Up

EAB has been compared to Dutch elm disease and the American chestnut blight, but could be much worse.  Dutch elm disease killed roughly 200 million elms, but if unchecked, EAB could kill virtually all ash trees (Fraxinus genus) in North America – estimated to be around 7.5 billion trees.  Ash makes up 5-15% of Vermont’s hardwood forests and is a valued timber tree.  Black ash is an important part of our hardwood swamp natural communities and the source of material for the baskets that are central to the Abenaki culture. 

A major effort involving USDA-APHIS and other partners is underway in 2011 to survey a ring extending 50 miles from the periphery of the known infested portion of the US. This ring is wider in Vermont because of infestations in both NY and Quebec, and encompasses all but Essex County.  This survey will include hanging “purple traps” from or near ash trees roughly every 2 miles within this band and checking these traps twice during the summer for adult EAB.  This is where landowner awareness and support will be very helpful.

NorthWoods Takes on Education and Survey Role in Northeast Kingdom The NorthWoods Stewardship Center is one of the partnering organizations that will be installing purple sticky traps in an effort to detect EAB.  Our goal is to install 350 traps during May in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, following an established and standardized protocol.  The traps include a non-toxic chemical lure that attracts any nearby EAB, and they will be checked in late June and again when they are removed in August.  Possible EAB will be collected and sent to a central facility out of state for positive ID.

NorthWoods is also organizing a public awareness presentation May 12th at 6pm at the Emory Hebard State Building in Newport, VT (100 Main Street, in Conference Room 250 on the 2nd floor).  We are fortunate to have as presenters Emilie Inoue of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and Trish Hanson of the Vermont Department of Forest Parks & Recreation.  They will summarize the current status of EAB, efforts underway to detect it in Vermont (including an overview of the purple traps), and ways to detect and identify EAB. 

Trish will also explain the Cerceris wasp project, which is another effort to detect EAB with the help of a native non-stinging wasp that catches this group of beetles and brings them back to the wasp colony to feed developing wasp larvae.  The wasps prefer baseball fields for their colonies, and trained volunteers can help the state agencies to locate and monitor these colonies.  The whole region of northeastern Vermont and northern NH are blank spots on the map of known Cerceris colonies — probably because no one has looked!

What You Can Do

1) Stop moving firewood long distances. Firewood—and infected nursery stock—are thought to be the main way that EAB has jumped so far so fast and established satellite infestations.  The insect is much easier to manage when it can be isolated and contained, which means limiting the number of satellite infestations.  Most sources give 50 miles as the maximum recommended distance to move firewood (even far from quarantine zones), and not across state lines.  State parks in Vermont won’t allow firewood from sources >50 miles away, unless it’s been kiln dried. More

2) Learn how to detect EAB – early detection is the other key to successful management.  There are a number of things to look for, from as simple as ash trees dying (especially in the upper canopies), to woodpecker activity on ash, to more subtle things like D-shaped exit holes in the bark and S-shaped feeding lines under the bark of dying trees.  Also to recognize the beetle and to know it from native look-alikes like tiger beetles.  One source to help with ID is: Maine EAB web site

3) Support more pro–active efforts for early detection of EAB.  Volunteers are needed for some of these efforts, while others need support of landowners, such as permission to set purple traps.

Contact Jayson for more information, or visit these helpful sites:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/emerald_ash_b/ http://www.emeraldashborer.info/
http://na.fs.fed.us/fhp/eab/
http://www.vtfpr.org/Firewood/index.cfm
http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/eab.shtml