Mariton: A Little More On Emerald Ash Borer

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager

Both Dan Barringer at Crow’s Nest and I have written a few blogs on Emerald Ash Borer and its effects on our native ash trees. A recent talk with a visitor reminded me that people still want information about this invasive insect.

Emma Schad, our Assistant, dropped this White Ash (Fraxinus Americana) over the winter while we were proactively removing some of the trees that will become hazards in the next few years.  In moving the tree off of the trail, the bark peeled off revealing the tree had already been killed by Emerald Ash Borer.  You can see the galleries (or tunnels) that larva made as they ate through the cambium layer and disrupted the flow of water and food within the tree.  This is the damage that ultimately kills the tree.

Look at the tree lying next to the short log and you can see where woodpeckers stripped off sections of bark to get to the larva for food. If you have ash trees and see this bark stripping, it might be too late for your tree.  There are some treatments that have been successful if the damage is just beginning in the tree.  If you have ash trees that could damage your buildings (or your neighbors’) now is the time to think about either treatment or removal.  Neither is cheap, but prevention is less expensive than repairs.  It is a sad to watch many of our native species being attacked by invasive pests (both plants or animals) and knowing that humans (who should know better) are the cause.