EAB reaches Wisconsin

[glennschumann]

I missed this earlier this year... sorry for the delay. I'm not sure I agree with this, but I don't know all the details. Whitefish bay is made up of well to do folks - a very nice place to live, one of the nicest near Milwaukee.

http://www.whitefishbaynow.com/news/102731659.html

 

[TreeKyd]

Thanks for the post. It mentioned in the link that EAB had also been found in the bootheel of Missouri.

I did some research for unisversity of missouri and we found it i belive it was greenvile missouri. Brought in on firewood at a campsite.

 

[glennschumann]

New news in Wisconsin - EAB and wasps

Most of last year was quite quiet on the EAB front, at least in terms of publicity, but this looks like the first article of the season here.

Wisconsin is trying an introduction of 3 types of wasps to see if it controls the EAB. This is being done at a nature center very close to one of the first outbreaks in the state. I'll let you all know more when I hear more.

Have you heard of other states using this, and reporting back if they think it is successful, not successful or just providing interesting results? I'm curious.

Thanks

State to release Asian wasps to thwart emerald ash borers - JSOnline

 

[glennschumann]

More information

Here is a link to a new article about the wasp release. I'm just including the link (rather than copy and pasting the story) as the story seems to be updated on ocassion.

Does anybody have any direct knowledge about the effectiveness of the wasps on the EAB?

It's bug vs. bug in latest attempt to save ash trees - JSOnline

Schumann

 

[ATH]

It has been 2 years, but I was at a session where the APHIS researchers who were releasing the wasps spoke about them. She said they are certainly an effective preditor of EAB and only EAB but wasn't sure they could breed quickly enough to catch up and keep up with EAB.

 

[glennschumann]

EAB in Raine County

Thanks for the information ATH. I've been curious too if just by numbers, the EAB would stay a head of the wasps for 1, 5, 10 or more years till the populations of each reached an equilibrium. At that point, would the wasps keep the populations of EAB low enough to keep some trees, or will balanced population numbers require that the Ash tree is eaten up faster than it can regenerate? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Here is the latest on EAB in Wisconsin... now found in Racine county, near other sightings.

Emerald ash borers found in Racine County - JSOnline

 

[treevet]

Thanks for the information ATH. I've been curious too if just by numbers, the EAB would stay a head of the wasps for 1, 5, 10 or more years till the populations of each reached an equilibrium. At that point, would the wasps keep the populations of EAB low enough to keep some trees, or will balanced population numbers require that the Ash tree is eaten up faster than it can regenerate? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Here is the latest on EAB in Wisconsin... now found in Racine county, near other sightings.

Emerald ash borers found in Racine County - JSOnline

By next summer we will have full blown eab. We have found eab signs in every weak or dead ash we have worked on this year...D holes and serp. galleries, etc.. Last week we took out 2 mostly dead green ash which had mass D holes, mass eliptical cankers with serp. galleries, interior full canopy of sprouts and then we had adults flying around when we began cutting off branches (first time we have seen this) and found larvae without trying very hard.

All the infested wood is in my lot and will be split and sold this winter. Legally.

City ROW trees are infested in some parts too.

 

[PJM]

There is supposed to be wasp release very soon (next week or so) in New York as well. They are going to release them at the first find in Randolf, Cattaraugus County. Sorry, but I don't know much more than that right now.

 

[glennschumann]

EAB found in La Crosse Wisconsin

The latest in the saga in Wisconsin.

Emerald ash borers found near La Crosse - JSOnline

 

[r&r]

I've heard EAB was found at a truck stop in Knoxville, TN and has since spread to within 5 miles of VA. So much for slow the spread efforts.

 

[glennschumann]

A new strategy in Wisconsin

Some here in Wisconsin are trying the seed preservation route. I'm curious if this has been done successfully with other species to create a viable population after a decimation. If memory serves, Thoreau mentioned "species that we haven't seen for 20 years" growing from under a house that had been burned or removed. This leaves hope that after EAB runs its course, some seeds might be moved to conditions to grow inadvertently by construction, farming or the like if somebody pulls the plug on the cryo-seeds sitting along side various frozen people who also wait to be "reanimated".

The genetic modification of ash mentioned here does make me wince...

Ash tree recovery plan sprouts - JSOnline

 

[Zac]

I live in Geneva Il, and one thing I have noticed, as about 2/3 of the ash have died and been removed, is that it, is all the green ash. The white ash all appear perfectly healthy. Just something to consider before anyone starts cutting down all their ash.

 

[Urban Forester]

White Ash don't show symptoms as soon as green, but they are also attacked.

 

[glennschumann]

Latest Strategy to Deal with EAB in Wisconsin

In Whitefish Bay (an near north suburb of Milwaukee), they are planning on removing what sounds like 'some' street ash trees to deal with our little green friend. They are also planning on treating others. We haven't hear much about EAB recently in WI, but maybe this summer season will bring out reports on how this is evolving here.

For your reading pleasure:

Whitefish Bay signs contracts to manage emerald ash borer problem - WhitefishBayNOW

 

[treevet]

You wonder how things will transpire as you wait for all this to unfold. We have been doing a tremendous amount of treatments this year to go along with the removals of last and this year.

An observation may be that treatments run along income levels. The more wealthy will be more apt to pay the price and the less fortunate more apt to opt for the removal. It actually feels kind of good to be part of the 2 entities that grant a nice ash life as opposed to death. They finance it...we provide the inoculation. We are so heavily infested that if you snooze they lose by not being able to translocate by next year in all probability, the vascular system being so compromised.

Black locust, Robinia, in full bloom here. Really too late for liquid soil injections...better get your trunk injections or bark sprays in if you have contracted them.

 

[glennschumann]

Cost of EAB... about a grand?

The price of emerald ash borer? One man knows - JSOnline

This pseudo article tells of one man's costs to have EAB damage repaired...

 

[glennschumann]

Wisconsin to maintian while Fed relaxes restrictions on Ash wood / debris movement

An interesting article in JS Online about how Wisconsin is going to maintain the current restrictions, while the Fed is reducing it's restrictions to allow easier movement in continguous EAB infested zones.

I do support Wisconsin's position on this now, but I'm curious as to who lobbied for this change at the federal level... the national crating and palleting association or the like?

State to keep ash, firewood restrictions - JSOnline

 

[PJM]

NY too is holding the line against easing the movement restrictions. NY has not yet (though there is pressure from the forest products association and even some from the regulators themselves) quarantined the whole state. Currently there are two separate quarantine districts, one for WNY and one for the Hudson Valley.

APHIS' change is said to mirror their approach for gypsy moth, but no doubt there was some lobbying from the forest products industry and economic development councils.

 

[ashevilletree]

but no doubt there was some lobbying from the forest products industry and economic development councils.

Wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

 

[glennschumann]

EAB now in Walworth County

Emerald ash borer hits Walworth County - JSOnline


When I began to read this, I noted to myself that Lake Geneva is a "Get away" for many Illinois residents, and this may be how the little green beetle made its way north, rather than West as a "Wisconsin only" view might indicate from previously investations. The article seems to support this theory. I'm not sure that it takes actual wood to move the insects, as the beetles can hitch a ride in a camper, in a trunk, or on a car's radiator, but what does it take to have a self sustaining population? Could traffic from / through a heavily infested area be enough to spread the bug even without transporting wood? The question is probably moot as there will be no restrictions on travel through a quarantined zone. My only hopes are that the spread is slowed enough to give time for somebody to develop an "airplane treatment" that municipalites could choose to purchase, and that somebody develop a killer biomass system to heat homes / develop electricity to make use of the ash mass being produced.

Still looking for the silver lining...

Schumann