The
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is in Colorado. This insect has altered landscapes
throughout the Midwest and East Coast for the last decade. First found in
Michigan in 2002, is a native of China and is believed to be carried on
imported goods. Now it is wreaking havoc on ash trees around the country. It is
estimated to have taken out 40-50 million trees in the US.
The beetle has been found in Boulder County and the Department of Agriculture is hot on its trail and has organized a quarantine for the area. Click here to learn all about the insect and it’s life cycle.
Now
is not a time to panic. Areas 15 miles outside Boulder are okay
right now, but areas should be preparing for the insect. The Front Range is rich in ash trees as they are popular trees in
neighborhoods, parks, right of ways, office parks, etc.
Not
sure if you have an ash tree? Click here for an identification guide.
There
are no known cures for the insect. Currently there are a number of insecticides
on the market that have shown good results. The only problem is that the tree
needs to be treated for the remainder of its life and
those applications may not always be effective.
Take
inventory and start planning on what can be managed and what may have to go. We
are currently in this process on the golf course. This is nothing really new
for tree managers. Insects have been bearing down on trees for a long time. We
currently manage three other insects on pines and spruce trees. However,
the EAB has the potential to be far more destructive than any other
recent insect.
The EAB can be transported on any wood products such logs, nursery stock, chips, mulch, stumps, roots, branches and firewood, of any non-coniferous (hardwood) species (because ash is difficult to distinguish from other hardwood species when cut into firewood, the quarantine is for all hardwood firewood.)
Pinehurst CC has 267 ash trees, which is almost 14% of the
trees on the property. We are currently putting together a tree management guide for the property. The timing could not be better. We'll keep you up to date with any news with the development of EAB in our region.
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