July 26, 2007
Reporting an EAB Infestation
The emerald ash borer is difficult to detect in newly infested trees. Signs of infestation include the presence of metallic-green beetles about half the diameter of a penny on or around ash trees, thinning and yellowing leaves, D-shaped holes in the bark of the trunk or branches and shoots growing from the base of the tree.
Anyone who suspects a tree has been infested is urged to first contact their county Extension office.
Posted by Ron Wolford at 1:44 AM | Permalink |
July 26, 2007
Watch for Emerald Ash Borer
With the recent identification of Emerald Ash Borer in two more counties, LaSalle and DuPage, it is good to be watchful for the new pest throughout northern Illinois", says John Church, University of Illinois Extension Educator, Natural Resources, Rockford. The Emerald Ash Borer has been found in several other communities over the past year, primarily in northeastern Illinois. The Emerald Ash Borer only affects ash trees, unlike the Asian Longhorned Beetle which was a new devastating tree pest found several years ago and infested more than 10 types of common shade trees.
"One of the major helpful things that individuals can do to help reduce the spread of the pest is to use local firewood and do not transport ash products from fresh wood," says Church. Don't bring in firewood or other ash wood products from infested areas or from a long distance.
Human transport is suspected as the major method of the borer's spread as it does not move on its own very rapidly. If camping in infested areas, leave unused firewood at that site. If buying ash firewood, be sure of its source.
Areas identified with the Emerald Ash Borer are officially quarantined to restrict the movement of wood, wood products and the borer. However, individuals can follow similar guidelines voluntarily to help prevent the spread when in non-quarantined areas as well.
With new sites being found, it is a good time to be a good observer and scout for the borers and their damage. The borer lays eggs in the bark of the tree and when the borer hatches, it will tunnel under the bark and start feeding on the sapwood of the tree, leaving serpentine trails shallowly under the bark. Also, small D-shaped holes in the bark are also a clue, which are left by adult beetles leaving the sapwood. No other insect creates the BB-size D-shaped holes on ashes. Evaluating wood or trees prior to cutting for these exit holes is important as it is one of the signs of infestation. Peeling back the bark may also give an indication of trails and borer larvae.
Often, damage is not noticed until it is too late for effective treatment. As a preventative procedure, homeowners should make sure the trees in their yard are from a multiple number of species, so as to reduce the overall damage and loss from any type of pest that may affect individual tree species.
For more information on the borer, contact the local University of Illinois Extension office at 630-955-1123 or go to the website http://www.mortonarb.org/main.taf?p=3,5,3. The site contains information from numerous agencies and organizations such as U. of I. Extension.
Other good information sites are www.agr.state.il.us/eab at the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the U. of I. blog at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/cook/blogs/eb104/index.html.
Posted by Ron Wolford at 12:11 AM | Permalink |
July 20, 2007
Expanded EAB Quarantine Area
The Illinois Department of Agriculture has expanded its emerald ash borer (EAB) quarantine to include all or portions of the 18 northeastern-most counties of Illinois. Additionally, adjustments were made to the quarantine to further restrict movement of potentially-infested wood products during the EAB flight season.
The most recent detections of the tree-killing beetle in LaSalle and DuPage counties, each a considerable distance outside the present quarantine boundaries, prompted the expansion. The detections were made in the cloverleaf encircling Interstate 80 and Illinois Rt. 251 in Peru and at Concord Green Shopping Center in Glendale Heights.
"These latest EAB finds necessitate a considerable adjustment of the EAB quarantine boundaries as well as some additional requirements for movement of wood products within the quarantined area," Agriculture Director Chuck Hartke said. "We must do all we can to limit the artificial spread of this devastating pest. These new boundaries reflect the regional nature oflandscape waste management in the greater Chicago metropolitan area that has been in place for over a decade, and acknowledges the fact that the EAB has probably been present here for five or more years."
The other adjustment to the quarantine helps prevent the artificial spread of the pest during the transport of yard waste and landscape debris within the quarantined area.
"When potentially-infested wood products are being hauled to and from waste management facilities during the EAB flight season, there is a potential for contamination of 'healthy areas' within the quarantine zone," Warren Goetsch, bureau chief of Environmental Programs, said. "The adjustment requires waste haulers to cover the products from an infested area during transport through EAB flight season, which is from June through August, to curb this threat."
Additionally, the quarantine prohibits the removal of the following items from regulated areas:
The emerald ash borer in any living stage of development.
Ash trees of any size.
Ash limbs and branches.
Any cut, non-coniferous firewood.
Bark from ash trees and wood chips larger than one inch from ash trees.
Ash logs and lumber with either the bark or the outer one-inch of sapwood, or both, attached
Any item made from or containing the wood of the ash tree that is capable of spreading the emerald ash borer
Any other article, product or means of conveyance determined by the Illinois Department of Agriculture to present a risk of spreading the beetle infestation.
Anyone convicted of moving prohibited items from the quarantine area without prior certification by an Illinois Department of Agriculture nursery inspector may be fined up to $500.
How the emerald ash borer arrived in Illinois is unknown, but the department suspects it may have been transported here in contaminated firewood.
To avoid the accidental introduction of the beetle to new areas, the department encourages Illinoisans to purchase only locally-grown nursery stock and locally-cut firewood. Anyone who suspects a tree has been infested is urged to contact their county Extension office or their village forester for a consultation.
ILLINOIS EAB QUARANTINE AREA
Effective July 19, 2007
1. The entire Counties of Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, McHenry, Putnam, Will and Winnebago;
2. The eastern portion of Ogle County described as follows:
A. bounded on the north by the northern Ogle County line from Meridian Road to the eastern Ogle County line;
B. bounded on the east by the eastern Ogle County line;
C. bounded on the south by the southern Ogle County line from the eastern Ogle County line to Meridian Road; and
D. bounded on the west by Meridian Road or its northern projection from the southern Ogle County line to the northern Ogle County line;
3. The eastern portion of Lee County described as follows:
A. bounded on the north by the northern Lee County line from Meridian Road to the eastern Lee County line;
B. bounded on the east by the eastern Lee County line;
C. bounded on the south by the southern Lee County line from the eastern Lee County line to the southerly projection of Meridian Road; and
D. bounded on the west by Meridian Road or its southerly projection from the northern Lee County line to the southern Lee County line;
4. The eastern portion of Bureau County described as follows:
A. bounded on the north by the northern Bureau County line from Illinois Route 40 to the eastern Bureau County line;
B. bounded on the east by the eastern Bureau County line;
C. bounded on the south by the southern Bureau County line from the eastern Bureau County line to Illinois Route 40; and
D. bounded on the west by Illinois Route 40; and
5. The northwestern portion of Livingston County described as follows:
A. bounded on the north by the northern Livingston County line;
B. bounded on the east by Interstate 55 from the northern Livingston County line to the intersection of Interstate 55 and Illinois Route 116;
C. bounded on the south by Illinois Route 116 from the intersection of Interstate 55 and Illinois Route 116 to the western Livingston County line;
and
D. bounded on the west by the western Livingston County line.
Posted by Ron Wolford at 1:20 AM | Permalink |
July 17, 2007
EAB Found in DuPage County
DuPage is the fourth county in Illinois with a confirmed infestation of emerald ash borer (EAB). The Illinois Department of Agriculture today announced the tiny, tree-killing beetle has been discovered at a shopping center in Glendale Heights.
A department nursery inspector made the discovery. While returning from an inspection, he noticed distressed ash trees at the Concord Green Shopping Center and stopped to investigate. Larvae were collected from trees near the intersection of North Avenue and Bloomingdale Ro! ad and submitted to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which confirmed the specimens as EAB larvae late Friday.
"Just like in LaSalle County, where an infestation was confirmed last Wednesday, our staff now will survey ash trees in the surrounding area to determine the size of the infestation," Agriculture Director Chuck Hartke said. "That information will be helpful as we consider adjustments to the quarantine we established to slow the spread of this destructive pest."
The emerald ash borer is a small, metallic-green beetle native to Asia. Its larvae burrow into the bark of ash trees, causing the trees to starve and eventually die. While the beetle does not pose any direct risk to public health, it does threaten the tree population. Since the emerald ash borer was first confirmed in the Midwest in the summer of 2002, it has killed more than 20 million ash trees.
The first beetle detection in Illinois occurred last June in a rural Kane County subdivision west of St. Charles. Subsequent finds were mad e in the northern Cook County communities of Wilmette, Evanston, Winnetka and Skokie and, most recently, in LaSalle County just north of Peru.
Areas currently under quarantine include all of Kane County and parts of northern Cook, western DuPage, northern Kendall and eastern DeKalb counties. The quarantine prohibits the intrastate movement of potentially-contaminated wood products, including ash trees, limbs and branches and all types of firewood. In addition, the entire states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan have been placed under a federal quarantine. It prohibits the interstate movement of these same products.
The emerald ash borer is difficult to detect, especially in newly-infested trees. Citizens should watch for metallic-green beetles about half the diameter of a penny on or near ash trees that are showing signs of disease or stress. Other signs of infestation in ash trees include D-shaped holes in the bark of the trunk or branches and shoots gr! owing from its base. Anyone who suspects a tree has been infested is urged to contact either their county Extension office or village forester.
For more information, visit www.IllinoisEAB.com on the internet.
Posted by Ron Wolford at 2:03 PM | Permalink |
July 12, 2007
EAB Found in LaSalle County
A destructive, non-native pest that feasts on ash trees has been confirmed in LaSalle County. The emerald ash borer (EAB) was discovered just north of Peru at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Route 251, the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced today.
Department staff made the discovery while identifying ash trees for removal later this year as part of a survey to determine the extent of the beetle infestation in Illinois. The alert workers noticed distressed ash trees located inside the cloverleaf off-ramps at the intersection and stopped to investigate. Larvae were collected from the trees and submitted to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which confirmed the specimens as EAB larvae.
"Our staff now is surveying ash trees in the surrounding area to define the size of the infestation," Agriculture Director Chuck Hartke said. "We also are considering adjustments to an existing quarantine as a result of this new find to limit the artificial spread of this destructive pest."
The emerald ash borer is a small, metallic-green beetle native to Asia. Its larvae burrow into the bark of ash trees, causing the trees to starve and eventually die. While the beetle does not pose any direct risk to public health, it does threaten the tree population. Since the emerald ash borer was first confirmed in the Midwest in the summer of 2002, more than 20 million ash trees have died.
The first beetle detection in Illinois occurred last June in a rural Kane County subdivision west of St. Charles. Subsequent finds were made in the northern Cook County communities of Wilmette, Evanston, Winnetka and, most recently, Skokie.
The Illinois Management and Science Advisory Panel, a team of experts that includes representatives from USDA-APHIS, the USDA Forest Service, City of Chicago Bureau of Forestry, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, University of Illinois Cooperative Extension and Morton Arboretum, is coordinating the state's response to the beetle.
"Our strategy has three components," Hartke added. "The first is a quarantine to stop the movement of ash wood and ash nursery products out of infested areas. The second involves the removal of infested trees to reduce the population of the ash borer and minimize its potential spread while the third, a comprehensive survey of ash trees in northeastern Illinois to determine the exact extent of the infestation, is completed."
Areas under quarantine include all of Kane County and parts of northern Cook, western DuPage, northern Kendall and eastern DeKalb counties. More than 400 infested trees were removed this spring at no expense to homeowners as part of the population reduction strategy. An additional 1,000 trees in the region have been surveyed.
The emerald ash borer is difficult to detect, especially in newly-infested trees. Citizens should watch for metallic-green beetles about half the diameter of a penny on or near ash trees that are showing signs of disease or stress. Other signs of infestation in ash trees include D-shaped holes in the bark of the trunk or branches and shoots growing from its base. Anyone who suspects a tree has been infested is urged to contact their county Extension office.
For more information, visit www.IllinoisEAB.com on the internet.
Posted by Ron Wolford at 2:13 PM | Permalink |
