emerald ash borer

[ColdNH]

Looks like it finally made its way to central NH. they are putting restrictions on moving wood in merrimack county.

fortunatly I do not have any ash trees on my property. What does this mean as far as scrounging is concerned? Would you scrounge this wood? Will it even be possible? im assuming that they will want to restrict the movement of this invasive bug. Do you have this in your area? how are they handling it?

 

[DAKSY]

Looks like it finally made its way to central NH. they are putting restrictions on moving wood in merrimack county.

fortunatly I do not have any ash trees on my property. What does this mean as far as scrounging is concerned? Would you scrounge this wood? Will it even be possible? im assuming that they will want to restrict the movement of this invasive bug. Do you have this in your area? how are they handling it?

They're here in Eastern NY. Wood movement has been restricted, altho it's primarily for the camper types who bring firewood bundles for their campfires. We had the funny lookin purple boxes hanging in the trees all around this area, but they were removed for the winter. I believe they were traps to determine the numbers that inhabit the local ash trees. I don't think they were any kind of deterrent, or poisoned to try to reduce the numbers...

(broken link removed to http://www.cceontario.org/temp5.asp?id=eab)

 

[jeff_t]

Quarentines started here a long time ago, but now it's it's the whole lower peninsula. That only slows down the spread, though, since the bugs fly.....

As far as firewood goes, it's still primo stuff. I burn tons of it.

A lot of invasive pests are moved on campfire wood. This is what we have now in Michigan, with the infestation centered around some popular state park campgrounds.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beech_bark_disease#section_1

 

[Applesister]

There are several borers that go after Ash. You dont want to spread any of them. Keep an eye out for holes in the wood. D shaped exit holes are EAB. Report anything you find. Keep the wood collecting local if you can. If you scrounge free wood.
Another site is: Stopthebeetle.info

 

[Waulie]

As Zap would say, get it before it rots! The stuff spilts, dries, and burns great.

Do follow the rules regarding firewood movement! This may limit you initally, but once every ash tree in your surrounding area is dead (which is only a matter of time), they will lift the movement restrictions.

 

[JrCRXHF]

Michigan is a lost cause. I have 15 trees on my property and i have been treating them with the only thing i can find on MSU site that is "over the counter" and it might have just slowed them down but not stopped them from killing the trees. It is bad enough that the city and power company has came in and cut any ash tree close to a power line it does not matter if it looks infected or not.

 

[Ashful]

I recall reading some localities were enforcing mileage restrictions (eg: 5 miles), whereas others were imposing restrictions on moving across county lines. In any case, the purple boxes are counting traps only, not a deterrent. There was a lone EAB caught about 10 miles south of me last year, but all other traps turned up empty. I was told the Penn State U. (who is handling the local tracking) decided to ignore the lone beetle, as a fluke.

 

[BobUrban]

Michigan has been nuked. The bug gets them all which is good for firewood but a bummer for the trees. I will be burning ash for a long time but it sucks to see rounds with 60+ rings that were nice live trees only 5 years ago.

Signs of infestation start with splotchy looking bark and often sucker shoots growing from the base or low on the tree as the big ash trys to cling to life. If you see this it's over so take them while they are still somewhat green as it is safer than waiting for the tops to be dead and dropping branches.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Looks like it finally made its way to central NH. they are putting restrictions on moving wood in merrimack county.

fortunatly I do not have any ash trees on my property. What does this mean as far as scrounging is concerned? Would you scrounge this wood? Will it even be possible? im assuming that they will want to restrict the movement of this invasive bug. Do you have this in your area? how are they handling it?

Sorry to hear about the bug but it was expected.

In our area they moved in right around the year 2000. On our place the first one I found was in 2002. That is when we started cutting them. We cut some for lumber but most have gone for firewood. Unfortunately we had a few hundred ash trees and every one is dead. So far though it is amazing that only 2 have fell on their own. Ash wood stays good for a long, long time. In addition, it splits easy, dries relatively quick and burns really nice. It won't hold a fire as long as oak but it is not much behind so it is excellent firewood.

Get all you can and enjoy it.


btw, for several years they had restrictions that one could not move any wood across a county line. As far as I know that has been removed but they still go after the campers. At the straits of Mackinaw I understand they were hitting them hard and making everyone unload any firewood they were hauling. Not sure if they still do that or not.

 

[Woody Stover]

White Ash is one of most common trees in our woods, and a big source of quick-drying wood. There is some Black Cherry, but not nearly as much as Ash. It will be sorely missed.
It'll be tough to keep up with it, once they start going. I have quite a few dead ones to get already, and the bug is still a county away.

 

[Paulywalnut]

The purple box traps are hanging in alot of the trees around here. Not sure if they are
working. Not much reporting about them if you inquire.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

You will find many times that those purple boxes are hanging because they want to keep track of the gypsy moth.

 

[wingsfan]

Theres not many standing ash trees here in Michigan that hasn't been gotten.

 

[arngnick]

Yup once this bug gets started kiss your ash goodbye!

 

[Hickorynut]

So you guys in Michigan that have lost all your ash trees. The chemical treatment doesn't work? Here in Kentucky the eab has arrived in some counties and they are pushing treating the trees in the cities like Louisville with the mentality that treating them every year they will survive. They are asking for donations as the treatment isn't cheap. I am all for giving money to this cause if it works??? Thanks for any feedback on this.

 

[gerry100]

They're here in Eastern NY. Wood movement has been restricted, altho it's primarily for the camper types who bring firewood bundles for their campfires. We had the funny lookin purple boxes hanging in the trees all around this area, but they were removed for the winter. I believe they were traps to determine the numbers that inhabit the local ash trees. I don't think they were any kind of deterrent, or poisoned to try to reduce the numbers...

(broken link removed to http://www.cceontario.org/temp5.asp?id=eab)

Daksy- I'm about 2 miles from you. Small world

 

[Ashful]

So you guys in Michigan that have lost all your ash trees. The chemical treatment doesn't work? Here in Kentucky the eab has arrived in some counties and they are pushing treating the trees in the cities like Louisville with the mentality that treating them every year they will survive. They are asking for donations as the treatment isn't cheap. I am all for giving money to this cause if it works??? Thanks for any feedback on this.

I'm no expert, but I have inquired about this with some arborists in the know. Word I received was it's a few hundred dollars per tree per year, and the treatment must continue as long as the threat exists, which could be many years. As one arborist put it, "If you have one ash tree you want to save, no problem. If you have a few hundred, forget it."

 

[DAKSY]

Daksy- I'm about 2 miles from you. Small world

Small world, indeed! There are at least two others that are in this neck of the woods, as well...One up the Taborton Mt & another in WSL...

 

[Ralphie Boy]

I am all for giving money to this cause if it works??? Thanks for any feedback on this.

Here in Northern Kentucky, Boone County, the officials know there is a problem but they are in denial as to the extent of the problem. I've been cutting and burning ash killed or almost dead from ash bore for 6 years now. There are three big ash trees left and I don't think they'll make it through the summer. My neighbor's 105 acres has the same problem. Sad for the trees but I'll have wood until I'm too old to load the stove or even care.

As for treating them; it has to be done on an ongoing basis and it is more of a preventive measure. There is no "treat it and forget it" process which is why it is such an expensive program. If you treat a tree once or twice the bugs will come right back. If you have woods full or miles of city streets lined with ash; it's gonna take a mountain of gold just to slow them bugs down. Nothing is really going to work until the figure a way to totally kill the little green monster. Once the varmint gets in there the damage is done and the tree will be just a fond memory. It may only take as little as a season or as long as 5 seasons. I guess if you have a couple of trophy ash trees in your yard you may be able to keep the going for a while but if the bug is in there, it has eaten at least part of the membrane that carries "food" the leaves and the tree will die, it's just a matter of when.

 

[Mitch Newton]

Michigan is loosing Ash trees by the thousands due to EAB. The only good thing about it is that mushrooms love the area around distressed/dead Ash trees.

 

[Hickorynut]

Here in Northern Kentucky, Boone County, the officials know there is a problem but they are in denial as to the extent of the problem. I've been cutting and burning ash killed or almost dead from ash bore for 6 years now. There are three big ash trees left and I don't think they'll make it through the summer. My neighbor's 105 acres has the same problem. Sad for the trees but I'll have wood until I'm too old to load the stove or even care.

As for treating them; it has to be done on an ongoing basis and it is more of a preventive measure. There is no "treat it and forget it" process which is why it is such an expensive program. If you treat a tree once or twice the bugs will come right back. If you have woods full or miles of city streets lined with ash; it's gonna take a mountain of gold just to slow them bugs down. Nothing is really going to work until the figure a way to totally kill the little green monster. Once the varmint gets in there the damage is done and the tree will be just a fond memory. It may only take as little as a season or as long as 5 seasons. I guess if you have a couple of trophy ash trees in your yard you may be able to keep the going for a while but if the bug is in there, it has eaten at least part of the membrane that carries "food" the leaves and the tree will die, it's just a matter of when.

Ralphie, thanks for the reply. The louisville parks were asking for donations for treating the ash trees. I think they quoted $96.00 per tree. Pretty expensive. As far as I know, but am not sure it is not in Daviess County(western ky yet. I have a few on my place but I just as soon use them as firewood if they get infected. The ash tree is a great yard tree in my opinion.

 

[Ralphie Boy]

The louisville parks were asking for donations for treating the ash trees. I think they quoted $96.00 per tree. Pretty expensive.

I'm not sure how that's gonna work for them, the folks at U.K. told me the trees have to be treated on an ongoing bases. Maybe the Louisville Parks Dept. is hoping one treatment on all the trees at once will get all the bugs. Like Judge Roy Bean said "It's possible, but it ain't likely."

 

[Backwoods Savage]

So you guys in Michigan that have lost all your ash trees. The chemical treatment doesn't work? Here in Kentucky the eab has arrived in some counties and they are pushing treating the trees in the cities like Louisville with the mentality that treating them every year they will survive. They are asking for donations as the treatment isn't cheap. I am all for giving money to this cause if it works??? Thanks for any feedback on this.

Some chemical treatment can work or so I'm told. However, the cost of the treatment makes this not an option. We had several hundred ash trees and I may have had to win the lottery to treat them. Also as far as I know, when we got hit they still did not have any treatment that worked.