Preparing Your Community for a Potential Emerald Ash Borer Infestation

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Preparing Your Community for a Potential Emerald
Ash Borer Infestation

• By
• Robert Tomesh UWEX
• Contributions from
• WIDNR, WIDATCP, UMI and Etal.

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Why is Emerald Ash Borer a threat?

• EAB is 100 fatal to ash trees
• Dutch Elm Disease was near 100 fatal 30 to 40
  years ago
• 727 million forest ash trees are at risk in
  Wisconsin
• 30 of all urban street trees in Wisconsin are
  ash
• Killed 20 million trees in Michigan
• Also found in MN, MI, OH, IN, IL, MD, PA, WV and
  Ontario, Canada

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What kind of trees does EAB attack?
In N. America, EAB attacks all types of ash
trees, including 
and all other horticultural varieties of ash.
North American hosts
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Value of Wisconsins Urban Ash

• Average standing tree value of 12 DBH ash street
  tree in good condition 1,470
• Urban trees provide benefits that far exceed the
  costs of planting and care over the lifetime of
  the tree
• Annual net benefit of trees
• Large tree - 37/yr
• Medium tree - 16/yr
• Small tree - 9/yr
• Each medium tree removes 1,000 lbs CO2 per year,
  4.3 pounds of pollutants per year, 5,380 gallons
  of rainwater per year, and saves homeowners up to
  20 on annual utilities

Certified Tree and Landscape Appraiser Value
Data from USDA FS Center for Urban
Forest Research
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How is EAB Moved?

• Natural spread (adult beetles can fly)
• Human assisted spread
• Firewood
• Nursery stock
• Pallets
• Logs
• Any parts of an ash
  with bark attached

Photo by Dave Cappaert, MSU
Firewood
Nursery stock
Photo by Linda Williams, WI DNR
Photo by Linda Williams, WI DNR
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How does EAB kill trees?

• Larvae tunnel under bark disrupting water flow

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How is EAB found?

• Phone calls from concerned
• citizens
• The Firemans Park, Ozaukee County infested
  landscape trees, Kenosha County and Victory
  area, Vernon County infestations were first
  noticed and reported by a concerned citizens
• Public education programs (MN-First Responder
  Program)
• Reports from tree service businesses
• Detection trees and traps (DATCP)
• Municipal disease/insect scouting program

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Homeowner Current Control Management Options

• Detection (human observation)
• Quarantine Delimitation
• Ozaukee, Washington, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan,
  Crawford, and Vernon
• Species diversity (Landscape Planning)
• 10 in any one species
• Chemical treatments
• None are 100 effective
  
• (but a possible option See Homeowner Guide to
  Emerald Ash Borer Insecticide Treatments)

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Quarantine

• Put in place to help prevent the artificial
  movement of EAB out of the infested area
• Will include ALL hardwood firewood, ash nursery
  stock, ash timber, and any other product that
  could transport EAB
• Infested county and possibly neighboring
  county(s) will be quarantined.

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Following Delimitation

• Mechanical controls, such as removing symptomatic
  or asymptomatic trees
• Chemical controls, such as using pesticides in
  specific circumstances
• Biological controls, such as using parasitoids or
  other natural enemies

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Following Delimitation

• Behavioral controls, such as changing habits
  regarding the use of firewood
• Silvicultural controls, such as reducing the
  number of target trees and replanting diverse,
  non-target trees
• Regulatory controls, such as enacting quarantines
  and enforcing regulations regarding firewood
  movement

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Use Your Time Wisely
(tips from a Michigan community)

• Now is the time to prepare
• Educate yourself and others about EAB
• We do not need to reinvent the wheel, communicate
  with other communities that have EAB
• Review UW-Extension Factsheets
• Check out the DATCP EAB web site
• Use DNR EAB Toolkit

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Survey and Inventory Your Community
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Use Your Time Wisely
(tips from a Michigan community)

• Create a community readiness plan
• Change planting practices to improve the 10
  landscape diversity
• Stay current
• Program is constantly evolving
• New finds and available funding can change
  quickly
• Know the quarantine boundaries and requirements

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Use Your Time Wisely
(tips from a Michigan community)

• When EAB is found in or near your community
  maintain communication between municipal
  departments
• Work with supporting agencies DNR Forestry
  staff, Community Forestry staff, and Urban Park
  Committees
• Revisit your plan, adjust as needed

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http//www.emeraldashborer.wi.gov/
Visit
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What still needs to be done?
Education, Volunteerism and Community Planning
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• Thank You
• Robert Tomesh-UW Extension