Emerald ash borer advances

Invasive insect found in NY, expands in PA

By SANDY LONG

NEW YORK AND PENNSYLVANIA — A brilliant green wood-boring beetle native to China and Eastern Asia has found its way into Pennsylvania and New York, threatening ash trees and activating quarantines aimed at preventing further invasion by the emerald ash borer (EAB).

The beetle has been moving steadily outward from its first discovered infestation in Detroit, MI, and has now been found in 13 states and two neighboring Canadian provinces. The primary way this insect spreads is when firewood and wood products are moved from one place to another.

EAB in PA

EAB beetles have been found in Armstrong and Washington counties, bringing to nine the number of counties where the destructive pest has been identified, according to PA Department of Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff.

In response to this latest discovery, Wolff said a state-imposed quarantine is being expanded to include both counties. He reminded residents and visitors to use only locally harvested firewood, burn all firewood on-site and not carry it to new locations.

State and federal EAB quarantines restrict the movement of ash nursery stock, green lumber and any other ash material, including logs, stumps, roots, branches and all wood chips from the quarantine area.

This summer, 20 crews, including four in the eastern part of the state and two regional coordinators, are assessing the spread of the beetle. “Due to the difficulty in distinguishing between species of hardwood firewood, all hardwood firewood—including ash, oak, maple and hickory—are considered quarantined,” said Wolff. “Consumers need to heed the quarantine when traveling and camping this summer—not just in the quarantined areas, but throughout Pennsylvania—to prevent any further spread of the beetle.”

Purple panel traps have been deployed as part of a national survey being conducted in cooperation with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry to determine the extent of the invasion.

The beetle is believed to have arrived in North America in wood packing materials. It was first detected in July 2002 in southeastern Michigan and neighboring Windsor, Ontario, CA. EAB was found in Pennsylvania in the summer of 2007 in Butler County and has since been detected in Allegheny, Beaver, Lawrence, Mercer, Mifflin and Westmoreland counties.

People who suspect they have seen an EAB should call the Department of Agriculture’s toll-free pest hotline at 866/253-7189. For more information about the quarantine, contact Walt Blosser at 717/772-5205. For more information about the beetle, contact Sven-Erik Spichiger at 717/772-5229.

EAB in NY

New York State has seen its first emerald ash borer infestation in Randolph, Cattaraugus County, according to NYS agriculture commissioner Patrick Hooker and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis.

This is the latest in a series of terrestrial and aquatic invasive species detections across New York State, including the Asian longhorned beetle, Sirex woodwasp, didymo, zebra mussels and Eurasian water milfoil. The state is responding by strengthening regulations, increasing educational outreach and encouraging ways of limiting the unintentional spread of these devastating pests throughout the state.

New York has more than 900 million ash trees, representing about seven percent of all trees in the state.

Jonathan Staples of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said, “The detection of the emerald ash borer could have a profound effect on the state’s landscape given the huge number of ash trees located throughout New York.”

Grannis called the finding “yet another wake-up call for all New Yorkers that invasive species pose a grave threat to the health of our natural resources and ecosystems, and ultimately, our economy.” He added, “Tough but practical measures, such as quarantines, firewood regulations, public education and other regulatory actions will continue to be needed if we are to limit the damage from EAB and other invasives.”

In 2008, as a precaution against the introduction of EAB and other invasive species, New York adopted regulations that ban untreated firewood from entering the state and restrict intrastate movement of untreated firewood to no more than a 50-mile radius from its source (seewww.dec.ny.gov/animals/28722.html).

The infestation was initially reported to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets on June 15 by Rick Hoebeke, an entomologist at Cornell University. An adult beetle from the infested area was confirmed by the USDA’s Systematic Entomology Laboratory at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Approximately 30 trees are affected.

Damage is caused by the larvae, which feed in tunnels just below the bark, disrupting water and nutrient transport and causing branches and, eventually, the entire tree to die. Adult beetles leave D-shaped exit holes in the outer bark of the branches and the trunk. Other signs of infection include tree canopy dieback, yellowing, extensive sprouting from the roots and trunk and browning of leaves. Infested trees may also exhibit woodpecker damage from larvae extraction.

The USDA and New York State staff will conduct a survey of trees and a more intensive trapping effort to assess the extent and age of the infestation. Information from this survey will help determine the response strategy, which could range from tree removals to ash product quarantines.

The public can help prevent the spread of EAB by leaving all firewood at home and purchasing camping firewood at campgrounds or from local vendors. Watch for signs of infestation and report suspected damage to the state by calling 866/640-0652.

Visit www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/emerald_ash_b/index.shtml or www.agmkt.state.ny.us/CAPS/pdf/Emerald%20Ash%20Borer%20Poster.pdf or www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7253.html or www.emeraldashborer.info or nyis.info for more information.