The Briefing Room
State Chapters => Texas => Topic started by: Elderberry on January 15, 2019, 06:48:29 pm
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WacoTrib By CASSIE L. SMITH 1/10/2019
Baylor University biology professor Joseph White has been studying the ash trees in his backyard a little closer since news that officials confirmed an invasive beetle that decimates the trees was present in Tarrant County, less than 100 miles away.
“I’m really resistant to just dousing them with a bunch of chemicals. I know it’s going to go into the seeds,†White said. “I’m not really against chemicals per se, but I just want to wait, I guess. I may just let nature take its course and unfortunately I may lose my ash trees and have to start over again.â€
Though the emerald ash borer has not been spotted in McLennan County, its slow spread across the continent means the future looks bleak for the area’s ash trees.
The beetle was first documented in North America in 2002 near Detroit and, as of last year, had killed millions of ash trees in 35 U.S. states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba, according to the Emerald Ash Borer Information Network.
The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage, causing little damage. But the larvae feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients, according to the network.
White, whose background is primarily in forestry and ecosystems related to trees, is among the experts nationwide monitoring the emerald ash borer’s spread. All species of ash are susceptible to the beetle, and trees typically die within five years of infestation, he said.
“There’s no eradication of it,†White said. “It’s going to happen, so to speak. It’s just a sad deal that it’s now here.â€
More: https://www.wacotrib.com/news/environment/beetle-s-spread-means-bleak-future-for-local-ash-trees/article_ce1daeaa-0520-5b86-a7b4-79d881d59637.html (https://www.wacotrib.com/news/environment/beetle-s-spread-means-bleak-future-for-local-ash-trees/article_ce1daeaa-0520-5b86-a7b4-79d881d59637.html)
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I wasn't aware we had any ash around here.
Oh - introduced ~50 years ago, so not native or wild.
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Over the years way too many people have planted Arizona Ash trees because they are a fast grower. In our climate, with the amount of rainfall we receive, they grow themselves to death in around 50 years or so.
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(https://postmediaottawacitizen2.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/local-inputphotos-of-damage-done-by-emerald-ash-borer-all.jpg)
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If they are anything like the Pine Beetle that is decimating the West, all you can do is log em out... If the gubmint will let you.
The North Fork of the Flathead is a perfect example of gubmint stopping what needs to be done by sitting on their hands. All sorts of beetle kill, and they would not let the timber sales happen... for over a decade and then some. Believe you me, the resulting conflagration was unstoppable. All that dead standing pine.
And by the way, the expensive and much desired blue pine is a result of those pine beetles - All that premium wood, up in smoke.
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I remember when Dutch Elm disease devastated the tree's in the town where I grew up.