Tiny invaders besiege Virginia forests
RONAOKE, Va. (WFXR) — The commonwealth is under siege from an unlikely foe.
Virginia has been invaded by the emerald ash borer, a species of beetle native to eastern Asia. The species, also known as EAB, first appeared in 2002 in Michigan, where they’re believed to have accidentally been introduced by cargo imported from Asia. The species quickly spread throughout the continental U.S. and have devastated ash tree populations along the way.
This is not the first time that EABs have been introduced to the state of Virginia, they first appeared in 2004 but were quickly eradicated. However, they appeared again in 2008 in Fairfax County, and by 2012 they had spread across the state.
To put this in perspective, an invasive species like the spongy moth took roughly 100 years to get from Massachusetts to Virginia. The EAB did it approximately a tenth of the time.
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EAB feed on tree species, primarily ash trees, and are incredibly destructive. According to the Virginia Department of Forestry page, “EAB is the most destructive forest insect ever to invade the United States, and has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in urban, rural, and forested settings.”
“The percentage of ash in Virginia is actually quite low, around five percent,” says Virginia Tech Professor in the Department of Entomology Dr. Scott Salom. However, Dr. Salom notes that ash trees are popular as landscaping trees, making them more accessible to the public. EAB burrows into ash trees, and feeds on the inner bark, which ultimately leads to the death of the trees. “(They’re) really good at finding those trees,” says Salom.
Ash trees, when they die, become structural hazards and create safety concerns, with the primary concern for the public being injury occurring from falling branches.
Ash trees are considered very dangerous to take down and unlike other species need to be taken down from top to bottom.
Virginia Area Forester Dennis McCarthy says this can create liability issues for landowners, but the state does have a solution to help landowners protect their trees in a cost-share treatment program.
The program has been put in place to help protect the remaining ash tree population in the state and help cut costs for private citizens and organizations with ash on their property. McCarthy noted that the ash tree population that was not treated before the invasion had, “lost almost all of the ash with the exception of seedlings.” He also urged that any ash tree that is not treated will inevitably be lost to EAB infestation.
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The treatments can become quite costly. For example, a tree with a diameter of 10 inches could cost anywhere from $100 to 200. The cost-share program would help individuals and organizations cover up to 50 percent of the cost needed to treat the trees.
To qualify for the program, applicants need to fill a form out that can be found on the Virginia Department of Forestry’s website. Applicants are also required to have an estimation done by a local arborist, who would come out and inspect the trees. They would write the estimation of cost, and the applicant would send that in with the finished form.
If the application is accepted, an arborist or local forester will come out to administer the treatment. According to McCarthy, the “most reliable treatment is the root flare injection.” The treatment provides resistance to the inner bark and protects the tree for up to two years. However, McCarthy wants individuals to be aware that this is a lot of responsibility and should be treated as a “lifelong commitment.” Without continued treatments, the trees will eventually fall to the emerald ash borers.
It is believed that EAB will not be able to be eradicated from the ecosystem like before and that they are here to stay. However, individuals can still help stop their spread by making sure they don’t take firewood with them when they travel. While EAB can fly, the primary way that they spread and infect trees is by hiding in dead wood. If that wood is picked up and brought along as firewood, it allows for the species to further spread and increase their range.
This becomes problematic for states with higher densities of ash population. “We only have a smaller percentage, but as it goes further north, it becomes more critical,” says Salom.
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