Saturday, May 9, 2020
The Great Outdoors: Nasty Little Blighters
You have seen Emerald Ash Borer mentioned here several times, but it is very seldom that you will see one of these little pests, even though there are billions and billions of them. We have been splitting ash firewood, and a few of the nearly finished pupae have been rolling out from under bark as we work. They are all of 1/2" long, but boy do they leave trails under the bark. The trees are doomed when you girdle them under their bark by chewing away the cambium and sapwood. Here is one of them, cradled in the palm of my hand. We have our work cut out for us this year, taking down dying ash trees and making firewood.
I'm experimenting with several methods to protect our Ash from the Emerald curse . Ash is one of the best lumbers we have here in the Buckeye . Fair to middlin' for firewood . I guess I'll get to building this summer .
ReplyDeleteAsh is easy to plant and it makes a novice planter look like a pro. Ash yellow disease will get a bunch of them in a forest, and EAB gets the rest. You can treat ash in an urban situation to keep individual trees safe, and arborists are busily providing that service. It's just not possible in a forest setting. I wonder what we will do for a replacement for ash wood. Thirty some years ago a bat maker experimented with hackberry,and had trouble with case hardening during kiln drying. Ash typically would pick up slack in the hardwood market when white oak prices were high,so you would see ash trim in new construction instead of oak. We are sure going to miss ash. It is somewhat of a miracle tree with wonderful wood.
ReplyDeleteIs there some chemical tx that can be placed at/near the root system that will deter the borer and won't damage the tree/wood?
ReplyDeleteAnyone/lab anywhere doing any research?
Boron, Yes! It can be treated on a tree by tree basis. I think you can get the chemicals and do it yourself, or hire an arborist. https://blog.davey.com/2016/03/does-emerald-ash-borer-treatment-work/
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