September 21, 2006
Emerald Ash Borer: Strategies for the Green Industry
Emerald Ash Borer: Strategies for the Green Industry
Thursday, October 5, 2006, 1 – 3 p.m.
Alsdorf Auditorium, Regenstein Center, Chicago Botanic Garden
Members of the Illinois Emerald Ash Borer Team will lead this professional program aimed at presenting up-to-date information on the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer in Illinois and addressing the effects of EAB on the green industry
The devastating Emerald Ash Borerhas been sighted in the Chicagoland area. What's the next step? A panel of experts will share the most up-to-date information on this threat to Illinois' urban forests. The discussion will look at the current spread of EAB, the biology of the insect, management strategies, state and federal regulations and how to inform residents and clients. A question and answer period will follow the discussion.
Mark Cinnamon, Nursery Program Manager, Illinois Department of Agriculture
Jeff Coath, APHIS
Dan Klindera, Vice President/General Manager, Autumn Tree Care Experts
Edith Makra, Community Trees Advocate, The Morton Arboretum
Tom Tiddens, Plant Health Care Supervisor, Chicago Botanic Garden
Registration Information:
Online: www.chicagobotanic.org/continuinged
Phone: (847) 835-8261
Fax: (847) 835-6874
Mail: Chicago Botanic Garden, Education Registrar, 1000 Lake Cook Rd., Glencoe, IL 60022
Course number: PRO208306 Fee: $26 members / $33 nonmembers
Posted by Ron Wolford at 12:44 PM | Permalink |
September 20, 2006
EAB Confirmed in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Officials confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB) in Brimley State Park, the first time the destructive pest has been found in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The park is in Chippewa County along the Lake Superior shoreline, and officials believe the pest arrived on firewood illegally moved into the area. Mich. Dept. of Ag. reported this was an isolated infestation, and all ash trees within a half mile of the infestation will be destroyed. MDA announced it increased penalties for violating the state's EAB quarantine: $1,000-$250,000 fines plus jail time up to 5 years for moving regulated materials, including ash nursery stock, out of quarantine areas.Posted by Ron Wolford at 12:21 PM | Permalink |
September 3, 2006
Emerald Ash Borer Found in Illinois
The emerald ash borer has recently been found in Kane County, Evanston and Winnetka. The borer is about one-half inch long and appears brown in shade and under bright light is dark green in color. Millions of ash trees in Michigan have been devastated. This pest is a very serious threat to the 178 million ash trees in Illinois.
This is a very, very dangerous pest of ash trees," said James Appleby, a professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and a scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey. "Ash trees in the state already are in a state of decline from other factors, so it is important that people look for symptoms of an emerald ash borer infestation, which represents an additional and real threat. If these borers are out there, we need to find them so we can take action to contain them."
The emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, a native of eastern Asia, was identified in Michigan, as well as some areas of Ohio and Canada. Some counties in Michigan are under quarantine to prevent the transportation of ash trees, branches, logs and firewood. Millions of trees in Michigan have died or are dying from infestation. Scientists believe the insect has been present for as many as 10 years, possibly introduced in ash wood used in shipping, Appleby said. The accidental movement of infested firewood into Illinois could be the source of our current outbreaks.
The 178 million ash trees in Illinois represent about 9 percent of Illinois forestland. The total does not include trees in urban plantings or in nurseries. Drought, poor growing sites, lilac borers and native ash borers, and diseases, such as ash yellows, already are damaging many Illinois ash trees. All ash species are at risk from the new threat.
Signs of infestation, Appleby said, are D-shaped holes about one-eighth inch in diameter on large branches and trunks and numerous ash sprouts at the base of dead trees.
Adult emerald ash borers are commonly seen during sunny mid-summer days, feeding on leaves and crawling along branches and trunks of the trees. During June and July, they deposit eggs in the crevices of tree bark; about 10 days later, the larvae emerge and feed under the bark. Full-grown larvae, which are cream-colored and are about three-fourths of an inch long, spend the winter under the bark and in the sapwood.
Borer-infested trees may go undetected until symptoms such as upper tree canopy dieback occurs and the D-shaped emergence holes are seen on trunks and branches. Depending on tree size, symptoms may not show for a couple of years. In some trees a vertical bark split may occur on the trunk. If the bark is removed at such sites, S-shaped tunnels dug by the borer, known as serpentine larval galleries, can be exposed.
The emerald ash borer, Appleby said, easily can be confused with the brilliant green tiger beetle, a native insect often seen on the ground in open areas.
Source: Jim Barlow, University of Illinois News Bureau
Posted by Ron Wolford at 7:24 AM | Permalink |
