News

Get to know emerald ash borer

The State of Wisconsin is dealing with a second infestation of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), this one, confirmed on Monday, is along the Mississippi River, across the state from thefirst infestation found last year. The discovery is a blow to hopes the pest could be contained in the southeastern corner of the state. The new site also poses a threat to the neighboring states of Minnesota and Iowa which, to date, have not had the insect.

Mick Skwarokheads-up the battle against the EAB for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). He admits this is an uphill battle. The insect, native to China, most likely gained entrance to North America in shipping containers through the port of Detroit in the early tomid 1990’s. Skwarok says the pest wasn’t discovered until 2002, “Ash trees in Detroit were dying left-and-right and nobody knew why.” U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists figured out what it was and immediately launched efforts to control the pest within Michigan. Those effortsfailed because, “In reality, the beetle had already spread five, ten, fifteen miles beyond those infested trees because it had been there so long.”

To date, the destructive pest has spread to Indiana, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Illinois,Missouri and Wisconsin. Part of the problem is by the time an infestation is found, the insect is already well-established. Skwarok says the evidence found at the first site in southeastern Wisconsin last fall indicated the pest has been there for a while. Therein lies part of the problem; peoplesee a bad-looking tree, cut it down and haul the firewood around to a camp or a park in another part of the state, not knowing they may be carrying the beetle with them. Firewood is the biggest culprit in the spread of EAB.

Right now, it seems like the best anyone can do isslow the spread of the insect. “If we don’t get some better tools in our toolbox, it doesn’t look good for ash trees.” Skwarok says because the pest is relatively new in the United States, there are not a lot of things you can use in fighting it. He says they need better ways ofdetecting the pest, some type of insecticide which can be used on a broad-area basis and perhaps some type of natural predator. So far, none of those things exist.

In the meantime, people need to help out in the effort. The EAB larvae hide under bark on wood so don’t haulfirewood from one area to another; the same is true for nursery stock and young trees; watch for bark on shipping crates and pallets and keep a close eye on ash trees in your yard and neighborhood. Educate yourself on what to look for and notify authorities if an ash tree shows any signs of stressor unhealthiness. “The sooner people see potential problems; the faster state and local officials can respond and try to keep the damage to a minimum.” More information about EAB is available at the website linked below.