Emerald Ash Borer Meeting Called

Want to know more about the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) that was confirmed in Door County on June 10? State and county officials are gathering from 1 to 3 pm on Tuesday, June 24, to discuss the insect and what it means to Door County now that it has arrived.

Officials say the infected Ash trees discovered on private property on Cottage Row south of Fish Creek were likely infected two to four years ago.

All green, white and black ash trees are potential hosts of EAB regardless of size, health or age. Ash trees are present in both urban and woodland settings in Door County and in some settings ash trees are the predominant tree species.

Topics to be discussed include:  EAB life cycle; symptomology of infestation; potential targets of EAB – identifying ash trees; site evaluation and update of ground zero; Ash tree management strategies; and what the Door County quarantine means. There will also be an opportunity for questions and answers.

Speakers include:

• Linda Williams:  Forest Health Specialist, Department of Natural Resources;

• Tracy Salisbury:  Regional Urban Forestry Coordinator, Department of Natural Resources;

• Chris Plzak:  Private Forester, Department of Natural Resources;

• Bill Ruff:  Private Forester, Department of Natural Resources;

• Brooke Sanneh:  Nursery Inspector, Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection;

• Bill Schuster:  Door County Conservationist;

• Dean Volenberg:  Door County Agricultural Educator, University of Wisconsin Extension;

The meeting will be held at Crossroads at Big Creek, 2041 Michigan St., Sturgeon Bay. For more on the Emerald Ash Borer, visit:  emeraldashborer.info/wisconsininfo.cfm#sthash.fl5pUFEx.dpbs.

About Emerald Ash Borer

What it is, how it got here and why we care:

Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) is an invasive, wood boring beetle. It kills ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) by eating the tissues under the bark. This metallic green beetle is native to East Asia. It was brought to the United States accidentally, in wood of shipping crates from China.

EAB kills ash trees and Wisconsin has a lot of ash trees.

EAB is not a threat to human health but it kills our native ash trees of any size, any age, healthy or unhealthy, (according to research by Michigan State University and the U.S. Forest Service).

The larva (the immature stage of EAB) spends its life inside ash trees, feeding on the inner bark where we cannot see it. This feeding disrupts the trees’ ability to move water and nutrients back and forth from the roots to the rest of the tree. The tree starves and eventually dies.

A tree that has been attacked by EAB can die within two to four years. It is estimated that more than 50 million ash trees are dead or dying in the Midwest because of this insect.

Wisconsin forests contain more than 770 million ash trees, nearly seven percent of the tree population. In urban areas, it is estimated that, on average, 20 percent of trees are ash.

EAB moves far by hitching rides.

On its own, the beetle will only fly a few miles. However, it is easily and quickly moved to new areas when people accidentally move Emerald Ash Borer larvae inside of infested firewood, ash nursery stock and other ash items.

Source:  Emerald Ash Borer Information Source, datcpservices.wisconsin.gov/eab.