Update @ 5/24/2007 7:05 PM
An exotic beetle that can be a death sentence for billions of Ash trees in Ohio.
That's what the Ohio Agriculture Department considers growing infestations of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetle into an increasing number of Ash trees in more Ohio counties.
This week Hamilton County became the first in Southwest Ohio this year, and the latest of more than two dozen Ohio counties so far, to have transport of hardwood firewood or ash tree logs outside of Hamilton County.
That means what firewood and ash tree logs are already Hamilton County, need to stay in Hamilton County – and not be taken into other areas.
Arborists and other tree experts say they've been getting calls from dozens of homeowners wondering what they can do if they suspect they have Emerald Ash Borer infested ash trees on their property.
The experts say the first step is to figure out if you have an Emerald Ash Borer infestation in your trees.
Since the symptoms can easily be misdiagnosed, they suggest finding a tree expert or arborist.
If there is an infestation, however, home and property owners have some choices to make.
None of them are easy.
You can cut the tree down and have it taken away.
You can also try to slow down an infestation by having an expert use insecticides to stop the insects from progressing further down a tree.
However, they point out that won't save an infested ash tree.
It may prolong its life, but it will eventually die.
In some cases, as quickly as three to five years, depending on the infection and the health of the affected tree.
Arborist Tod Miller, who owns SherDec Tree Service tells 9News, "This beetle has a 100% mortality rate on Ash trees. When we look up north, to Michigan, where it has completely devastated the ash [tree] population in communities, hundreds of the unprotected trees have died."
Miller goes on to say, "Another problem is that people think if a tree is infested, we can save it. Even we if can slow down the infestation by using insecticides every year to save the rest of the tree, ash trees aren't always a hardy tree. You may be opening the ash tree up to dying from some other infection or pathogen or disease."
First posted 5/24/2007 12:27 PM
A hardwood firewood quarantine of Hamilton County was added by the Ohio Department of Agriculture after reports of Emerald Ash Borer beetles being found in ash trees in Anderson Township.
A Michigan lab confirmed the bugs found were Emerald Ash Borers, which are a metal green color and smaller than quarter-size.
The ban on moving firewood outside of Hamilton County is an attempt to try to keep ash trees elsewhere from becoming infected with the destructive bug.
An ash tree that becomes infected with the Emerald Ash Borer can die within as little as three years. There is fear
that continued spread of the beetle could doom many of
Ohio's estimated five billion ash trees.
The bug leaves a distinctive "D-shaped" exit holes in the bark of an infected tree.
Experts say the Emerald Ash Borer can not be stopped from killing a tree, although some insecticides can help trees live longer after being infected. The feeling is the best way to save the ash tree is to keep it from being infected in the first place.
The bugs can be transported from place to place through firewood. The state is banning taking any kind of hardwood firewood out of Hamilton County because wood from ash trees can easily be confused with maple firewood.
Most recently an infected ash tree was found on Bentley Court in Anderson Township. Other trees were found nearby off Newton Road.
So far, 28 Ohio counties now have bans on transporting of firework or ash tree logs. The first infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer was found in Ohio in 2003.
We'll continue to update this developing story throughout the day here on wcpo.com and on 9News, starting at 5 O'Clock.
