Can Damage From the Emerald Ash Borer Be Prevented?
Back in late January of this year, several new cases of emerald ash borer (EAB) infestation were confirmed in Minnesota, one in Minneapolis, and two in St.
Paul.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture performed a follow-up on reports submitted by the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board Forestry Department and the St.
Paul Forestry Unit regarding possible emerald ash borer infested trees.
During inspection, after removing bark from the trees and finding the distinctive "S" shaped tunnels created by EAB larvae, they were able to confirm that the trees were infested.
So the battle continues in the Twin Cities and surrounding Minnesota communities in the fight against EAB.
The suspicion that these three ash trees were EAB infested was brought on due to a higher amount of woodpecker activity on and around those particular trees.
Increased woodpecker traffic on an ash tree is a prime indicator of insect activity in a tree.
The extent of the woodpecker's damage on the tree can indicate the severity of infection.
While it may appear that the woodpeckers are the problem, since they're causing visible damage to the tree, they are merely looking for food, and it's the food that's killing the tree.
Let's take a page from history to remind ourselves to be proactive against EAB and not simply reactive.
During the 1970's Minnesota experienced a huge loss of Elm trees due to Dutch Elm Disease.
Dutch Elm Disease is caused by a fungus and is transmitted by beetles or by fungus-contaminated wood being brought into non-contaminated areas.
The effects of the Dutch Elm Disease resulted in millions of dollars spent to cut down hundreds of thousands of Elm trees.
Municipalities and individual landowners alike felt the tremendous financial burdens of tree removal and disposal of infected trees in an attempt to save others.
More often than not, adjacent trees would also require removal due to lack of detection and disposal of the infected tree.
Today, Emerald Ash Borer infestation is still an issue that needs tending to.
Can damage from the Emerald Ash Borer be prevented? One could arguably answer "yes" to this question.
If anything, Dutch Elm Disease and the EAB have driven technology and chemical engineering to create and enhance treatment techniques which can effectively save millions of ash trees and millions of dollars.
If you know you have ash trees on your property, and have concerns about possible EAB activity in those trees, you should call a certified arborist and have your trees inspected.
Even if you don't know what kind of trees you have, call a certified arborist and get a professional opinion.
The sooner an EAB problem is properly addressed, the better.
If you have ash trees that do not show signs of infection, a treatment program should be considered to help maintain the health of the trees.
Many options are available, including spraying, root application, and tree injection of insecticides.
These treatment techniques have proven highly effective in the prevention and treatment of EAB.
EAB treatments generally begin in April and conclude in September.
If you have an ash tree that is already infected the best solution may be removal of the tree to prevent the EAB from spreading.
The Dutch Elm Disease exhibited the importance of being reactive versus proactive.
Keeping ash trees from becoming infested is the optimal, proactive solution to a very preventable problem.
Don't wait until it's too late.
Prevention is the key to keeping and maintaining healthy ash trees and ensuring their survival.
Paul.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture performed a follow-up on reports submitted by the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board Forestry Department and the St.
Paul Forestry Unit regarding possible emerald ash borer infested trees.
During inspection, after removing bark from the trees and finding the distinctive "S" shaped tunnels created by EAB larvae, they were able to confirm that the trees were infested.
So the battle continues in the Twin Cities and surrounding Minnesota communities in the fight against EAB.
The suspicion that these three ash trees were EAB infested was brought on due to a higher amount of woodpecker activity on and around those particular trees.
Increased woodpecker traffic on an ash tree is a prime indicator of insect activity in a tree.
The extent of the woodpecker's damage on the tree can indicate the severity of infection.
While it may appear that the woodpeckers are the problem, since they're causing visible damage to the tree, they are merely looking for food, and it's the food that's killing the tree.
Let's take a page from history to remind ourselves to be proactive against EAB and not simply reactive.
During the 1970's Minnesota experienced a huge loss of Elm trees due to Dutch Elm Disease.
Dutch Elm Disease is caused by a fungus and is transmitted by beetles or by fungus-contaminated wood being brought into non-contaminated areas.
The effects of the Dutch Elm Disease resulted in millions of dollars spent to cut down hundreds of thousands of Elm trees.
Municipalities and individual landowners alike felt the tremendous financial burdens of tree removal and disposal of infected trees in an attempt to save others.
More often than not, adjacent trees would also require removal due to lack of detection and disposal of the infected tree.
Today, Emerald Ash Borer infestation is still an issue that needs tending to.
Can damage from the Emerald Ash Borer be prevented? One could arguably answer "yes" to this question.
If anything, Dutch Elm Disease and the EAB have driven technology and chemical engineering to create and enhance treatment techniques which can effectively save millions of ash trees and millions of dollars.
If you know you have ash trees on your property, and have concerns about possible EAB activity in those trees, you should call a certified arborist and have your trees inspected.
Even if you don't know what kind of trees you have, call a certified arborist and get a professional opinion.
The sooner an EAB problem is properly addressed, the better.
If you have ash trees that do not show signs of infection, a treatment program should be considered to help maintain the health of the trees.
Many options are available, including spraying, root application, and tree injection of insecticides.
These treatment techniques have proven highly effective in the prevention and treatment of EAB.
EAB treatments generally begin in April and conclude in September.
If you have an ash tree that is already infected the best solution may be removal of the tree to prevent the EAB from spreading.
The Dutch Elm Disease exhibited the importance of being reactive versus proactive.
Keeping ash trees from becoming infested is the optimal, proactive solution to a very preventable problem.
Don't wait until it's too late.
Prevention is the key to keeping and maintaining healthy ash trees and ensuring their survival.
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