Monday, November 17, 2008

Emeral Ash Borer Update


For those of you interested in finding out more about the Emerald Ash Borer I have provided some interesting information and web sites below. This insect has tremendous potential to impact the nurseries, urban landscapes, and forests of Pennsylvania.

What You Need to Know:
- It attacks only ash trees (Fraxinus spp.).
- Adult Beetles are metallic green and about 1/2-inch long.
- Adults leave a D-shaped exit hole in the bark when they emerge in spring.
- Woodpeckers like EAB larvae; heavy woodpecker damage on ash trees may be a sign of
infestation.
- Firewood cannot be moved in many areas of Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania,
West Virginia and Maryland because of the EAB quarantine.
- It probably came from Asia in wood packing material.

A number of links are provided below. The first link is to a report provided by Dovetail Partners Inc. It is entitled Firewood Movement and the Emerald Ash Borer. The report is a very good summary of the nature of the problem and justification for various control options. Included in the report are general recommendations for the wood using industry.

For up to date information on the emerald ash borer go to the location website provided below.

To view an interesting and quite entertaining series of EAB videos go to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Don't Move Firewood website.








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