Ash Treepocolypse

[Cody Colston]

I have a friend who has a 182 acre farm. There are quite a few Walnut trees on his place and they seem to be dying out. He lets me cut the trees and saw into lumber...even helps and uses his tractors for log and lumber handling. About three weeks ago we sawed some large Ash logs from two trees that died last summer.

I haven't seen any cankers on the Walnut trees and wouldn't recognize an EAB if one lit on my nose but I don't think either has made it to East Texas yet. There are also a bunch of dead oaks on his place from the severe drought conditions a couple of years ago. This year we are having record rainfall so far...go figure.

The Southern Pine Beetle has long been killing Pine trees all across the South, including here. A friend of my friend gave us 28 x 8.5' Pine logs that came from beetle killed trees he was removing and he has another 26 logs from a deer plot he cleared off. For payment, I sawed some big Sweetgum logs that he wanted to use for feed troughs. My friend and I shared the 1200 bf of Pine lumber we sawed. He used his to cover the inside walls of an old barn and I'll use mine to panel the inside of my "shed" I built from lumber I sawed.

[Kent A Bathurst]

The EAB has been wreaking havoc in many areas - for everyone else it is just a matter of time.

One thing that has really made it a big impact is that there were many areas that were landscaped solely with the ash. It is comfortable in high-traffic areas, grows quickly, etc. There are many subdivisions in SE MIch, for example, built 30 - 40 years ago, where that is the only thing the developers planted. Looked great - until all hell broke loose and huge tracts were clear cut in a vain attempt to stop or slow it.

SOme treatments have, apparently shown potential, but no silver bullet has been found - all the ash trees are coming down, sooner or later.

Lesson learned - if you are planting only one species, you are susceptible. Whether trees, or potatoes or corn or whatever.

[Robert LaPlaca]

One of the local arborist companies in Charlotte sends a quarterly newsletter to customers, in the last news letter the company was warning about the pending encroachment of the emerald ash boarer to the area.. So I guess for the most part we have been spared by distance..

[Jaromir Svoboda]

We had our ash tree threaded last year,it still look good.

[Tom Howarth]

I planted 2 Ash trees in my back yard a couple of years ago, for much needed shade,here in New Mexico. I sure hope I can get many years out of them. I'd hate to lose the others in the yard.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I planted 2 Ash trees in my back yard a couple of years ago, for much needed shade,here in New Mexico. I sure hope I can get many years out of them. I'd hate to lose the others in the yard.

You might want to consider planting a some of a different species, to get them started. I don't want to rain on your parade, Tom, but IMO it is simply a matter of time - depending on how fast the EAB travels.

Kinda like admiring your chestnut trees back in the day.........when they were 25% of the eastern hardwood forests.

[Jim Becker]

Honestly, I'm losing both ash and walnut on my property over the past couple of years...some due to changes in ground water patterns, but I suspect that the ash borer and other factors are involved, too. I lost a cherry, too, but it was taken out by a walnut falling when its roots lost, um...rooting...with the wet ground.

[Jim Laumann]

I am located in SE MN. I was recently contacted by the MN Dept of Agriculture (via the member list of the Turning club I belong to).
They are looking for landowners who will allow them to put traps up to evaluate the presence of the "Walnut twig beetle" which is
killing black walnuts.

Gave them permission and a map of where the walnuts (all planted by my wife and I) are on my property. The traps go up tomorrow.

We also have EAB on the march in this corner of the state - so far, mine haven't been effected.

Jim

[Jeff Ramsey]

I am located in SE MN. I was recently contacted by the MN Dept of Agriculture (via the member list of the Turning club I belong to).
They are looking for landowners who will allow them to put traps up to evaluate the presence of the "Walnut twig beetle" which is
killing black walnuts.

Gave them permission and a map of where the walnuts (all planted by my wife and I) are on my property. The traps go up tomorrow.

We also have EAB on the march in this corner of the state - so far, mine haven't been effected.

Jim

There is a model for the EAB here http://www.firewood.ca.gov/docs/anno...rald_ash_2.pdf that shows average female EAB's travel up to a mile in their lifetime (a year, typically). One very disturbing table shows the number of larvae required to kill an ash tree of certain age; the needed lethal numbers don't appear to be that large. One positive is that without the assistance of humans (us), the EAB spreads very slowly. If regionally contained, it appears as though they can be forced to kill themselves off by running out of their food source.

[Mark Blatter]

There is a model for the EAB here http://www.firewood.ca.gov/docs/anno...rald_ash_2.pdf that shows average female EAB's travel up to a mile in their lifetime (a year, typically). One very disturbing table shows the number of larvae required to kill an ash tree of certain age; the needed lethal numbers don't appear to be that large. One positive is that without the assistance of humans (us), the EAB spreads very slowly. If regionally contained, it appears as though they can be forced to kill themselves off by running out of their food source.

Well, in that case we are doomed. In the west, and I am guessing many other locations deal with this as well, we have problems with invasive aquatic bugs. We have a number of lakes quarantined and all boaters are supposed to carefully clean off their boats and motors, etc. before entering or leaving any lakes. Yet the bugs march on, I believe due in part to people being too lazy to properly clean as they should. I can see the day when wood is 10 x the price it is today because of the kill-off of the species.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Mark - the EAB travels in wood. Arrived in pallets/crates/dunnage from the far east.

FOr the past 10 years or so, all import/export wood has to be certified as HT - heat treated - which means, IIRC, getting the wood to 145* for 60 minutes. It may have expanded to domestic trade also - not sure.....

Not to say other critters cannot come in the way you describe, but that sounds more like trying to keep invasive aquatic critters out.

Rotsa Ruck there too. See Great Lakes: alewives, zebra mussels, asian carp.

[Mark Patoka]

I don't know if the 1000 Cankers has contributed to this but the walnut at my hardwood supplier is now all considered Premium with no discounts provided and the price seems to have gone up. They used to sell 4-6' shorts for a discount but that became scarce this past year and now I don't think they even offer them. Apparently supply is becoming a problem.

[Jon Nuckles]

There is a model for the EAB here http://www.firewood.ca.gov/docs/anno...rald_ash_2.pdf that shows average female EAB's travel up to a mile in their lifetime (a year, typically). One very disturbing table shows the number of larvae required to kill an ash tree of certain age; the needed lethal numbers don't appear to be that large. One positive is that without the assistance of humans (us), the EAB spreads very slowly. If regionally contained, it appears as though they can be forced to kill themselves off by running out of their food source.

Ash trees are dying all around the Chicago area, and we are in a quarantine zone. Nevertheless, if you search the local Craigslist for free firewood, you see ash trees being advertised all the time. Some homeowners may not know any better, but there are some professionals that post ash firewood all the time, and have for more than a year now. They clearly just don't care. I sometimes reply to the ads to let them know about the quarantine, but the worst offenders don't have contact information or the ability to send a reply.