EAB: The Morning After
by Kathleen Preece
For a time, we thought we might be safe. We found out, we aren’t. The emerald ash borer, or “EAB” as it is commonly (but not affectionately) referred to, has shown its beetle face among the ash trees of St. Paul. So far the borers, which threaten Minnesota's 900 million ash trees, have been found only along the western border of St. Paul. However, several Saint Paul neighborhoods have potential to be especially hard hit as ash trees were popular with developers in post World War II neighborhood developments; ash were planted extensively throughout the city.
Authorities have removed at least 67 trees there and put up traps and removed bark from weakened trees to reduce any further attraction for the beetles. Ramsey, Hennepin, and Houston counties are now under a quarantine that prohibits the movement of firewood, ash nursery stock, ash timber, or any other article that could spread EAB within and out of these counties.
EAB is an invasive beetle that, simply said, kills all ash trees, including green (those urban shade trees with hard, tough wood used for oars, baseball bats, tool handles, and snowshoes); black (sometimes called ‘hoop ash’ because, when pounded, the wood splits into tough, flexible strips used to construct baskets); and white (fast-growing and similar to green ash). EAB does not discriminate between trees that are young and healthy, or old and already stressed ones facing mortality. The EAB larvae kill the trees by tunneling into the wood and feeding on its nutrients.
Since its accidental introduction into North America, EAB has killed millions of ash trees in 10 eastern states. With an estimated 900 million ash trees in Minnesota, many of which are located in the northeast part of the state, Minnesota has been considered to be a prime target for EAB.
And EAB is right on track. The invasive bug is becoming a household word as private landowners of both community/urban and forest land ash trees, as well as natural resource professionals consider how to keep the invasive beetle from becoming a resident.
Mike Schommer says EAB’s spread across the entire state is” inevitable.” The communications director with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) predicts that its movement will occur over the next five years.
Mike’s plan? “Let’s do things that will affect its movement; let’s cause EAB’s trip across Minnesota to take 10 years instead of five.” He admits that authorities aren't optimistic they can contain the spread of the beetle. But slowing its movement buys time to “find an effective weapon.”
The “things” Mike alludes are either in place or in the process of being put in place. St. Paul's parks and recreation department have outlined a plan to the city council that includes staged removal, replanting and chemical treatment programs for trees on public land. Under this plan, the city would remove 3,000 public ash trees each year and replace them with other species.
Besides using existing funds, local communities and the state hope to tap into almost $800,000 in federal money, and up to $2 million in the Outdoor Legacy bill recently approved by the Minnesota State Legislature.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has published an “Emerald Ash Borer Preparedness Plan,” to guide the department on how to prepare Minnesota communities, the state’s DNR employees, and forest landowners to meet EAB head-on.
And they are looking for that “effective weapon.” Research is being conducted by state and federal agencies and universities to understand the beetle's life cycle and find ways to detect and contain new infestations, as well as control EAB adults and larvae. Studies are focused on the genetic analysis of the EAB, developing survey traps, biological control programs, and treatment by insecticides.
Sharon Lucik, public affairs specialist with the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service in Michigan, explains that research on EAB began immediately after it was first identified in the U.S. in 2002.
“The protocols we operate under today are a result of research initiatives that began in 2002 and earlier,” Sharon explains. Research on insecticides is one intense area of focus. Research and experience have shown that insecticides can protect trees from EAB. However, success is not assured. The best control appears to be obtained when treatments are initiated in the earliest stages of infestation before visible symptoms are present, or perhaps even the year before trees are infested. Treatments will have to be repeated each year. In some cases, it is more cost-effective to remove and replace the tree. Scientists from universities, government agencies and private businesses are conducting intensive studies to understand the circumstances under which insecticide treatments will be most effective.
If you are a private landowner with one or 100 ash trees on your property, the MDA, DNR, and University of Minnesota Extension offer the following tips:
1. Timing is everything. In Minnesota, experts advise that treatments be conducted in mid-autumn or late spring. The treatments target adult emerald ash borers, which are active in the summer. To ensure that the product is in the leaves by the time the adults emerge to feed in early to mid June, product is most effective when applied several weeks in advance.
2. Consider whether the tree is worth protecting. Trees enhance property value and aesthetic value, but in some cases it may be more cost-effective to replace a small or struggling ash tree than it is to pay the recurring cost of protective treatments (typically between $50 and $200 for each treatment).
3. Don’t start treatments until the pest is near. If you have a high-value ash tree you want to protect, the rule of thumb is to start treatments only after an emerald ash borer infestation is confirmed within 15 miles of your property.
4. Select the treatment option that fits your circumstances. There are several products available to protect your trees, and it is important to select the right one. While some products can be applied by homeowners, others can only be applied by licensed commercial pesticide applicators. Ash trees greater than 4 feet in circumference should be treated by a professional tree care company. Also, if you live in an area of sandy soils, have a shallow water table, or your tree is close to a street gutter, it may be best to go with a commercial applicator to avoid unintended environmental impacts.
5. If you do it yourself, read and follow the product label. Minnesota law requires anyone using a pesticide, whether the applicator is a homeowner or a commercial applicator, to read and carefully follow the label instructions and advisories. This rule protects you, your family and Minnesota’s natural resources.
6. If you hire it out, pick a reputable company. In some states, the arrival of emerald ash borer was followed quickly by another kind of pest – –one that tried to scam homeowners into paying for unnecessary tree treatment or removal. While MDA has not heard any reports of out-of-town scam artists taking advantage of Twin Cities homeowners, it is always a good idea to check the qualifications of any company you hire to do tree work. For emerald ash borer work, make sure that the company and the workers doing the treatment are Minnesota-licensed commercial pesticide applicators. Ask the workers to show you a valid license, which should include a special certification for ornamental and turf applications. As an added safeguard, consider hiring a locally based firm with a certified arborist on staff.
7. Don’t dump the ash before its time. Generally it is not necessary to remove a healthy ash tree.
8. Careful with those trimmings. Homeowners who trim their ash trees this summer should give careful thought to what they will do with the branches and limbs. EAB larvae can hide inside branches no thicker than your thumb. If your ash tree is infested and you move the infested branches to a different location, you may be helping the ash borer find new victims. Also, the state quarantine in place for Hennepin, Ramsey and Houston counties prohibits the movement of any ash tree trimmings from those three counties into other counties. Be sure to check with your city or town to learn what specific guidelines or requirements they may have for disposal of ash trimmings.
For the latest information about the fight against emerald ash borer, homeowners may visit MDA’s website or call the MDA’s Arrest the Pest Hotline, at 651-201-6684 (toll free 1-888-545-6684).
If you go to http://www.emeraldashborer.info/ you will find a Web site that is a multinational effort to keep you up to date on the latest information about EAB. It includes a downloadable, new EAB Insecticide Bulletin.
For a time, we thought we might be safe. We found out, we aren’t. The emerald ash borer, or “EAB” as it is commonly (but not affectionately) referred to, has shown its beetle face among the ash trees of St. Paul. So far the borers, which threaten Minnesota's 900 million ash trees, have been found only along the western border of St. Paul. However, several Saint Paul neighborhoods have potential to be especially hard hit as ash trees were popular with developers in post World War II neighborhood developments; ash were planted extensively throughout the city.Authorities have removed at least 67 trees there and put up traps and removed bark from weakened trees to reduce any further attraction for the beetles. Ramsey, Hennepin, and Houston counties are now under a quarantine that prohibits the movement of firewood, ash nursery stock, ash timber, or any other article that could spread EAB within and out of these counties.
EAB is an invasive beetle that, simply said, kills all ash trees, including green (those urban shade trees with hard, tough wood used for oars, baseball bats, tool handles, and snowshoes); black (sometimes called ‘hoop ash’ because, when pounded, the wood splits into tough, flexible strips used to construct baskets); and white (fast-growing and similar to green ash). EAB does not discriminate between trees that are young and healthy, or old and already stressed ones facing mortality. The EAB larvae kill the trees by tunneling into the wood and feeding on its nutrients.
Since its accidental introduction into North America, EAB has killed millions of ash trees in 10 eastern states. With an estimated 900 million ash trees in Minnesota, many of which are located in the northeast part of the state, Minnesota has been considered to be a prime target for EAB.
And EAB is right on track. The invasive bug is becoming a household word as private landowners of both community/urban and forest land ash trees, as well as natural resource professionals consider how to keep the invasive beetle from becoming a resident.
Mike Schommer says EAB’s spread across the entire state is” inevitable.” The communications director with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) predicts that its movement will occur over the next five years.
Mike’s plan? “Let’s do things that will affect its movement; let’s cause EAB’s trip across Minnesota to take 10 years instead of five.” He admits that authorities aren't optimistic they can contain the spread of the beetle. But slowing its movement buys time to “find an effective weapon.”
The “things” Mike alludes are either in place or in the process of being put in place. St. Paul's parks and recreation department have outlined a plan to the city council that includes staged removal, replanting and chemical treatment programs for trees on public land. Under this plan, the city would remove 3,000 public ash trees each year and replace them with other species.
Besides using existing funds, local communities and the state hope to tap into almost $800,000 in federal money, and up to $2 million in the Outdoor Legacy bill recently approved by the Minnesota State Legislature.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has published an “Emerald Ash Borer Preparedness Plan,” to guide the department on how to prepare Minnesota communities, the state’s DNR employees, and forest landowners to meet EAB head-on.
And they are looking for that “effective weapon.” Research is being conducted by state and federal agencies and universities to understand the beetle's life cycle and find ways to detect and contain new infestations, as well as control EAB adults and larvae. Studies are focused on the genetic analysis of the EAB, developing survey traps, biological control programs, and treatment by insecticides.
Sharon Lucik, public affairs specialist with the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service in Michigan, explains that research on EAB began immediately after it was first identified in the U.S. in 2002.
“The protocols we operate under today are a result of research initiatives that began in 2002 and earlier,” Sharon explains. Research on insecticides is one intense area of focus. Research and experience have shown that insecticides can protect trees from EAB. However, success is not assured. The best control appears to be obtained when treatments are initiated in the earliest stages of infestation before visible symptoms are present, or perhaps even the year before trees are infested. Treatments will have to be repeated each year. In some cases, it is more cost-effective to remove and replace the tree. Scientists from universities, government agencies and private businesses are conducting intensive studies to understand the circumstances under which insecticide treatments will be most effective.
If you are a private landowner with one or 100 ash trees on your property, the MDA, DNR, and University of Minnesota Extension offer the following tips:
1. Timing is everything. In Minnesota, experts advise that treatments be conducted in mid-autumn or late spring. The treatments target adult emerald ash borers, which are active in the summer. To ensure that the product is in the leaves by the time the adults emerge to feed in early to mid June, product is most effective when applied several weeks in advance.
2. Consider whether the tree is worth protecting. Trees enhance property value and aesthetic value, but in some cases it may be more cost-effective to replace a small or struggling ash tree than it is to pay the recurring cost of protective treatments (typically between $50 and $200 for each treatment).
3. Don’t start treatments until the pest is near. If you have a high-value ash tree you want to protect, the rule of thumb is to start treatments only after an emerald ash borer infestation is confirmed within 15 miles of your property.
4. Select the treatment option that fits your circumstances. There are several products available to protect your trees, and it is important to select the right one. While some products can be applied by homeowners, others can only be applied by licensed commercial pesticide applicators. Ash trees greater than 4 feet in circumference should be treated by a professional tree care company. Also, if you live in an area of sandy soils, have a shallow water table, or your tree is close to a street gutter, it may be best to go with a commercial applicator to avoid unintended environmental impacts.
5. If you do it yourself, read and follow the product label. Minnesota law requires anyone using a pesticide, whether the applicator is a homeowner or a commercial applicator, to read and carefully follow the label instructions and advisories. This rule protects you, your family and Minnesota’s natural resources.
6. If you hire it out, pick a reputable company. In some states, the arrival of emerald ash borer was followed quickly by another kind of pest – –one that tried to scam homeowners into paying for unnecessary tree treatment or removal. While MDA has not heard any reports of out-of-town scam artists taking advantage of Twin Cities homeowners, it is always a good idea to check the qualifications of any company you hire to do tree work. For emerald ash borer work, make sure that the company and the workers doing the treatment are Minnesota-licensed commercial pesticide applicators. Ask the workers to show you a valid license, which should include a special certification for ornamental and turf applications. As an added safeguard, consider hiring a locally based firm with a certified arborist on staff.
7. Don’t dump the ash before its time. Generally it is not necessary to remove a healthy ash tree.
8. Careful with those trimmings. Homeowners who trim their ash trees this summer should give careful thought to what they will do with the branches and limbs. EAB larvae can hide inside branches no thicker than your thumb. If your ash tree is infested and you move the infested branches to a different location, you may be helping the ash borer find new victims. Also, the state quarantine in place for Hennepin, Ramsey and Houston counties prohibits the movement of any ash tree trimmings from those three counties into other counties. Be sure to check with your city or town to learn what specific guidelines or requirements they may have for disposal of ash trimmings.
For the latest information about the fight against emerald ash borer, homeowners may visit MDA’s website or call the MDA’s Arrest the Pest Hotline, at 651-201-6684 (toll free 1-888-545-6684).
If you go to http://www.emeraldashborer.info/ you will find a Web site that is a multinational effort to keep you up to date on the latest information about EAB. It includes a downloadable, new EAB Insecticide Bulletin.
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