Emerald Ash Borer Has Arrived

[suaf]

The dreaded pest has arrived in IL and has been found in a village only a few miles from mine. My entire block is lined with beautiful Green Ash. I fear it is only a matter of time before they make their way to my street and we lose all of our Ash trees. I've seen advertisements on the web for ways to prevent/kill them...but I am assuming they are all garbage. Millions of Ash trees have been lost in MI, OH and IN already. Has anyone had experience in dealing with this menace. While I am not on the village board or anything - I can only email/call them with suggestions and concerns before it is too late!

Suaf

 

[CaseyForrest]

If the little buggers couldn't fly, then you would have a chance. The Forestry Dept. here has all but given up. They still fine you for moving firewood, but I think its just a revenue generator.

Another note, the Forestry Dept. here did a much better job getting rid of the Ash trees then the borer did.

 

[PowersTree]

I am in the core area of Michigan that is loosing trees by the thousands everyday. I still have 3 green ash on my property that are prized shade trees for me. My neighbors have all pretty much lost their ash. Mine are still living. A little thin this year but still relativley healthy. I have treated mine with the Bayer trunkwash product and am a beliver. I do not sell it to my customers but I do tell them of my sucess.

 

[slipknot]

If the little buggers couldn't fly, then you would have a chance. The Forestry Dept. here has all but given up. They still fine you for moving firewood, but I think its just a revenue generator.

Another note, the Forestry Dept. here did a much better job getting rid of the Ash trees then the borer did.

Did you read any of the other EAB threads on this site? They both support what you just said but go into more detail. IMO EAB is a cheap land developer. And it just seems designed to get rid of the firewood threat to the fuel companies. EAB is BS. I just wish I had Facts to back all that up.

 

[suaf]

I am in the core area of Michigan that is loosing trees by the thousands everyday. I still have 3 green ash on my property that are prized shade trees for me. My neighbors have all pretty much lost their ash. Mine are still living. A little thin this year but still relativley healthy. I have treated mine with the Bayer trunkwash product and am a beliver. I do not sell it to my customers but I do tell them of my sucess.

What is the bayer trunkwash product you are speaking of? Do they specifically recommed it for EAB? Do you believe it is truly what is saving your trees or do you think it is just dealying the process (you mentioned it is a little thin this year). I think about 20% of all IL trees are Ash - once they are gone - my personal preference is replace them with a variety of hardy oaks.

 

[Gark]

The EAB is here and has been for awhile. Strong evidence all around where we live. Dayamm shame, they are and were such beautiful trees. Some of them very old. Saw a 3.5 footer dead and laying in the woods just a 1-minute walk south of us with all the other ashes fallen too. Mine and neighbors' trees already dead or dying with the classic symptoms of EAB. Gotta find and plant a viable replacement species.

 

[suaf]

I think there are many Oak species which are hardy, long lived and have a faster growth rate than most people commonly believe. While my street is lined with Green Ash, I am already preparing for the day when they are all cut down due to EAB. Thus, in the few remaining spaces on my parkway (I live on a corner, so actually have 2 parkways) I have planted a swamp white oak, chinkapin oak and am experimenting with 2 Saphire Paulownias. I planted those as seedlings last spring (2005) and they are about 15 feet tall and resemble catalpas. They had some damage over the winter, but I pruned that part back and they are growing vigorously. While not my favorite native oaks - at least if they survive, I'll be one of the few people with large trees on my parkways when the EAB has wiped out all the ash trees.

 

[woodbug]

I have planted a swamp white oak, chinkapin oak and am experimenting with 2 Saphire Paulownias. I planted those as seedlings last spring (2005) and they are about 15 feet tall and resemble catalpas. They had some damage over the winter, but I pruned that part back and they are growing vigorously.

Paulownia, and some other exotic trees such as Ailanthus are extremely invasive in our area. I just spent all of last week killing ~1000 saplings and canopy trees up to 20" DBH. If you don't get a good kill you'll have dozens of sprouts from the stump and if they get mature enough to seed you and all your neighbors will have thousands of them. In my very humble opinion get rid of it and stick to natives, exotics end up being more trouble than their worth.

 

[lemon pie]

emerald ash borer

A friend of mine says he has EAB. He cut down two trees 4 weeks ago. This is Davenport, Iowa, as far west as I've heard.

 

[stihlatit]

It's in Ontario Canada too. I cut down 7 more trees this year. Its a damn shame.

 

[suaf]

Paulownia, and some other exotic trees such as Ailanthus are extremely invasive in our area. I just spent all of last week killing ~1000 saplings and canopy trees up to 20" DBH. If you don't get a good kill you'll have dozens of sprouts from the stump and if they get mature enough to seed you and all your neighbors will have thousands of them. In my very humble opinion get rid of it and stick to natives, exotics end up being more trouble than their worth.

While I have heard that Paulownia can be invasive, mine do not seem to be sproting at all anywhere around the base. They are only about 15 feet and have not started seeding yet - so that may concern me as I don't want that problem. Of course, if we lose all of our Ash trees, a fast growe like Paulownia sprouting in a neighbors yard could be a nice gift.

 

[PWB]

Hasn't made it to my neighborhood yet, but I'm not far from the "ash-free" zone. Been seeing the ministry crews almost every week cruising and looking. Stihlatit, I didn't know that they had gotten that far east!

 

[CJ-7]

I would vote on genetic engineering those little buggers to favor those dang Cottonwoods!

 

[UrbanLogger]

If EAB has made it as far west as Davenport Iowa, why hasn't Wisconsin seen any yet? I've not heard anything about those little buggers in my state yet. I live pretty far south in Wisconsin (like 18 miles north of the WI/IL state line and like 10 miles West of Lake Michigan, near the Racine area. We have tons of Ash trees near (or in) my neighborhood, mostly mountain ash, and tons of green ash, but I havn't seen or heard of any infestation yet?

 

[ray benson]

The ash borer was reported in the Upper Peninsula last fall, and the latest reports have it showing up in Illinois' Kane County, about 35 miles from the border.

 

[suaf]

The ash borer was reported in the Upper Peninsula last fall, and the latest reports have it showing up in Illinois' Kane County, about 35 miles from the border.

I'm in extreme northern Cook county. The villages of Wimette and Evanston have both found infested trees. These villages are just a few miles to the south of me.

 

[musch]

The Wisconsin DNR magazine has stated in a recent article that they are VERY concerned about this, particularily spreading from MI.
They are going to be enacting some pretty tough restrictions on bringing firewood into the state parks, hopefully preventing some stow-aways, but I tend to agree with some folks that it may be just a matter of time.

Will this be like the Dutch Elm disease that wiped out such huge numbers of neighborhood and forest trees?? That would be a real shame.

 

[suaf]

Very possibly worse

 

[hobby climber]

On the bright side, the EAB has been leaving the Blue Ash trees alone for the most part! Of the different ash trees in my area...only about 5% are Blue Ash. Kinda rare around here! HC

 

[suaf]

Has anyone heard of this guy - familiar with the method he says will prevent EAB devastation? If he and his method is legit, why are they still cutting down trees?

http://www.ashborer.com/?OVRAW=emerald ash borer&OVKEY=ash borer emerald&OVMTC=standard