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Entomologist Tracks Emerald Ash Borer Invasion
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June 11, 2004--If emerald ash borers had to come to the U.P. under their own power, the tree-killing insects might never make it north of Traverse City. However, since people could be spreading them throughout the state, Michigan Tech entomologist Andrew Storer has launched an effort to find out where they may be taking hold.
The glossy green beetles, which are devastating the ash tree population in southeastern Michigan, aren't strong flyers and can't travel more than a couple miles in their lifetime. Thus, a six-mile-wide ash-free zone surrounding infested areas is being planned in an attempt to quarantine the exotic pests, says Storer, an assistant professor in the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science.
Fortunately for emerald ash borers, humans can provide taxi service almost anywhere. The borers are native to China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia, and probably hitched a ride to the U.S. in wood packing material used in cargo containers. Once here, faced with few natural enemies, they began attacking all native ash trees, young and old, healthy and sick.
The beetles lay eggs on the bark, and their larvae tunnel underneath, eating the living portion of the bark and outer layer of wood. Eventually, the tree dies.
In Michigan, the borers have a chance to expand their range whenever anyone hauls infested firewood to an area that contains ash trees.
Storer cringes when he sees a pick-up load of wood traveling north from downstate. "Nothing good happens when you move firewood around," he says.
Despite an aggressive public information campaign to discourage those living in borer-ridden areas from bringing wood elsewhere, the practice continues. "I was in St. Ignace, and I saw a truck that had come up from Ann Arbor loaded with firewood," he said. When questioned, the driver said he hadn't heard about the warnings. "And there's been all kinds of publicity," Storer says in frustration. "I told him to burn the wood as fast as possible."
To determine how far the beetles have spread, Storer is leading a USDA Forest Service-funded program to set up trap trees throughout Michigan, from the Indiana border to the western U.P. From now until the end of June, forestry professionals and researchers are installing sticky traps on ash trees near campgrounds. Every two weeks throughout the summer, these trees will be visited to see if they've caught any emerald ash borers.
Storer is also co-leading a related study with the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Graduate students from both schools are studying plots of ash trees throughout the state. Storer hopes the study will run for years and provide baseline data, including information on what conditions seem to weaken trees or strengthen them against borer attacks.
The study could provide the data needed to someday resurrect a resource. "When we study exotic insects and pathogens, we usually don't have much information on what was there before the infestation," Storer explains. "We have no idea what we've lost." |
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