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Healthy Forests Success Story

Region Addresses Emerald Ash Borer Threat
Rocky Mountain Region State and Private Forestry
2007

In late October 2007, Rocky Mountain Region State and Private Forestry began work on a million-dollar multi-year grant with state forestry agencies in Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, who will develop a regional defense to prepare for the emerald ash borer’s (EAB) western migration.

The initiative is in the forefront of forest health management, working across political boundaries and landscapes, which represents a new direction to help states and federal partners work together to prepare for this significant threat.

First detected in southeast Michigan in 2002, EAB is a non-native or exotic beetle that attacks and kills all native ash species, including white, green, black, and autumn purple ash. To date the beetle is present in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Ontario, Canada. In these areas, 25 million ash trees have been affected.

On its own, the beetle spreads slowly. It can fly only a few miles. The species has spread rapidly, however, through the transport of infected firewood.

Regional Entomologist Bob Cain hopes to educate the public about the threat nonnative insects of all types can cause when firewood is transported into new areas.

“Movement of firewood has been documented as one of the ways emerald ash borer spread beyond the quarantined areas where it was first discovered. Other destructive nonnative tree feeding insects could easily be spread long distances in this manner as well,” Cain said.

People can help by leaving firewood at home and using firewood from local sources. Anyone who has moved firewood can still mitigate the effects by burning all of it before leaving the campsite.

Another preventative measure to address the EAB threat is to plant more diversified landscapes and reduce or eliminate the planting of any new ash trees. Tree nurseries are encouraged to promote trees not prone to EAB.

"The multi-state partnership allows us to utilize the strengths and expertise in each state and accomplish more than any one state could working on its own," said Steve Rasmussen, coordinator of the EAB initiative. "The initiative will assess each state’s ash resource, expand educational programs, develop regional monitoring and detection networks, and create markets for waste wood generated by EAB.”

For more information about the emerald ash borer, visit the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry website.