Ash Trees in Danger

What you can do to save the trees in your neighborhood.

The big news in my area this summer is about a tiny insect called the Emerald Ash Borer.  A few days ago I was just hanging around in my backyard (trying to perfect my double back flip on the trampoline) when two official-looking men drove up. They were from the USDA Forest Service.

The men told me and my dad that the dreaded Emerald Ash Borer had arrived in my hometown of Randolph, New York!

These tiny insects lay their eggs in the bark of ash trees and when they hatch, they burrow and feed on the trees, and kill them.  The Emerald Ash Borer was first discovered in Michigan in 2007. Since then the bugs have spread to Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, and other parts of the U.S.  On June of this year, the ash borer was discovered for the first time in New York State in Cattaraugus County.

Scientists are fighting back! Spreading outward from the epicenter of Cattaraugus (in my neighborhood in Randolph), scientists are putting up roughly 1,200 traps in a 7-mile radius to determine a quarantine zone.  The purple traps are hanging from ash trees all over Randolph. I am monitoring the traps that are hanging on our property.

Ash trees make up about 95 percent of New York’s trees.  If these trees are damaged or killed, it will really hurt the local economy. Ash trees are used to make furniture and for firewood.

For good pictures of the Emerald Ash Borers, go to www.emeraldashborer.info . You can report any sightings in your area at 1-866-322-4512. 

Right now, a rare type of stingless Chinese wasp is being tested in Michigan to stop the ash borer. If the ash borer isn’t stopped and spreads to other parts of the country, about 7.5 billion ash trees are at risk of dying. Help stop this exotic but harmful beetle from spreading! Check out your ash trees to see if the bugs are coming your way.

—Joseph McIntrye

PHOTO: Workers from the FDA Forest Service are hanging purple traps like these from ash trees all over Randolph, New York. Photo Courtesy Joseph McIntrye

Comments

[Jaydon]

The Ash Borers are a problem in our area, also. You can't transport any firewood more than 50 miles from its source as it may be infested with this bug. We have been told to "burn it where you buy it".

Ash trees are also used to make baseball bats. Baseball is an important sport in our country!

Let's all keep an eye on this!

[Adrienne]

There are traps set up in Chauatuqua County, New York, especially in the rural areas. Many of the Ash Borers have been trapped and they are a cool-looking bug! I hope they find a way to stop them, though, because New York cannot lose any more industry. I know quite a few people who work in furniture factories in our area, and I don't want them to lose their jobs because of an insect!

[Cameron]

I'm from Ellington, NY and i have seen the traps around the area too. Hopefully this nasty insect does not kill a ton of trees and trigger a climate shift. If a climate shift happens, some animals or plants may die off and there could be weather changes.

I think this is a important issue because if the trees die off, loggers will not be too happy. Many people from this area make their livings from the ash tree.

[Brandon]

I live in Ashville, New York, which is in the county next to Randolph's. I have noticed the purple traps; they are all over the place! I got a good look at one that was blown down from a tree by a storm and saw that it is all sticky ono the outside and lots of bugs were stuck to it. I think a few were the Ash Borers. I am going to the county fair today and I am going to stop by the environment booth and see what they are planning to do about this.

[Matthew]

I never really saw any of those traps around Pelham, where I live, however, I see some ash trees, but no traps. I wonder about that. Maybe they haven't come to my area?

[Josh]

You can go to www.emeraldashborer.info to find the latest information about the emerald ash borer. Contains information on: how to identify ash trees; how to identify Emeral Ash Borer; signs and symptoms of EAB; how to report suspected EAB infestations; how to control EAB; information on moving firewood; what to do with EAB infested trees; and numerous publications and other materials. This website is a multinational effort in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Canada

[Tori]

Matthew, you can look for these signs on your trees: Adult beetles leave D-shaped exit holes in the outer bark of the branches and the trunk. Adults are roughly 3/8 to 5/8 inch long with metallic green wing covers and a coppery red or purple abdomen. They are most common in June and July. Signs of infection include tree canopy dieback, yellowing, and browning of leaves. So far, I don't think the Ash Borer has been found in other parts of New York State besides Chautauqua and Cattauraugus Counties. Looks like Pelham is on the other side of the state, but it is also on the Southern Tier so keep watch! Pelham looks like it would be a cool place to visit!