EAB question

[begleytree]

help me understand this please:

today I go to a clients property to look at a dead pine tree.
upon leaving I see an ash tree out by the road with a tag on it
someone, Oh Dept of forestry, removed the bark and cambium all the way around the tree for about 8 inches, tree is small sapling, maybe 3" dbh. and wrapped a tag stating research tree around the shaved section.

why would they girdle the tree? sure, its junk, meaning is growing out from under pines, does almost a 90° turn to horizontal and is headed to the road. something I'll remove this year during cleanup anyway (not now).
I was under the impression that EAB infected live trees? or live trees as well. so why did they girdle it?
I called the hotline number and was transferred to our area rep, which went to voicemail. I left a mesg, so far nothing.
-Ralph

 

[kevinj]

To my understanding, the borer damage to the tree is similar to that of the dutch elm disease. The larvae creates these tunnels between the bark
and the cambium. Cutting off nutrients.
Hope thats what your looking for.

 

[osb_mail]

At a arbor day celebration I herd the people work the eab stand that these were signal trees they were girdle to stress tree make it more prone to eab . This way they could see if it was in the area . which kind of does not make sense to me because I thought the reason EAB was going to be so bad was because it attacked any tree healthy or stressed . Have also herd of tree company that suggest removal of healthy ash trees before it get EAB because it might save them money if they have some work done now . That does not make sense remove a tree because EAB might kill it ??????? I say wait it out ,I have yet to see any Emerald Ash Borer damaged on any trees .

 

[begleytree]

At a arbor day celebration I heard the people work the eab stand that these were signal trees they were girdle to stress tree make it more prone to eab . This way they could see if it was in the area . which kind of does not make sense to me because I thought the reason EAB was going to be so bad was because it attacked any tree healthy or stressed .

I'm with you. makes sense, and then again, it doesn't make sense. am looking foreward to talking with them. I will ask them about that too.
-Ralph

 

[ATH]

Pretty much like osb mail said:

IF there are any EAB in the area, the theory is that they will first be attracted to the volatiles put off by stressed trees. So the Ohio Dept of Agriculture (not Div of Forestry) is stressing a few thousand trees around the State. They will later (in the fall or winter) remove these trees and strip the bark off to look for signs of EAB infestation.

The reason that it does make sense is because they once they have caused this stress, they know which tree to strip the bark off of to look for the bug. If it is not in these trees, it will be assumed the bug is not in the immediate area. Signs of damage from an early infestation are very hard to find...this is one way to narrow the search.

It is also worth noting that the insect would rather attach larger trees...but since the State will not let ODA survey folks use chainsaws, the survey is being done on smaller trees.

 

[treevet]

If any of you Ohio guys want to witness 1st hand an EAB infestation take a drive to the Springboro exit on I75 and as soon as you exit east look next to the Wendy s between it and a bank. I took a motorcycle ride up there last Sun. There are half a dozen green ash covered in d shaped holes and larvae tunnel wounds from top to bottom. It is very impressive and impossible to not notice. Their is a rather large and established infestation through that area, Dan Hermes, EAB researcher from Ohio State told me. I saw maybe 20 affected trees w out looking beyond that parking lot.

 

[treevet]

A little side note to this while on eab even if we started w indicator trees. I recently read, I think in TCI mag that the state of Illinois plans to pay for all eab removals, both public and private (if proven). It will be interesting to see if they can follow thru w this when the sh t hits the fan. Also, don t think I d want to wait for the prob 90 day check when doing the private job from the govt. I d def find something else to do.

 

[yooper]

the national forests in upper michigan have had them same tests on trees for a couple of years at least in the ottawa nat. forest. I always just thought the "critters" got cought up on a sticky spot in the girdled area. kinda wondering now. try a national forest sight they may have the answer.

 

[ATH]

I always just thought the "critters" got cought up on a sticky spot in the girdled area.

2 years ago, Ohio was putting Tangle Foot on the trees. They didn't find bugs in that even in infested trees. Apparently it is also quite the mess to work with. It is more obviously a lot work to scrape the whole tree instead of look in the band of tangle foot, but I think they have a much higher chance of finding it...

 

[treevet]

Tanglefoot would be used on larvae such as gypsy moth and cankerworm that would come down on a strand where the wind blows them then climb up in the canopy to feed. Not the scenerio here.

 

[ckliff]

So, is stressing an ash to monitor EAB anything like ATTRACTING the pest? I mean, if you don't want it in the area, why encourage it? What am I missing here?

 

[Grace Tree]

So, is stressing an ash to monitor EAB anything like ATTRACTING the pest? I mean, if you don't want it in the area, why encourage it? What am I missing here?

I believe it just gives evidence of the borers in the area. It won't attract them from a distance and infest the area. If they're not there already it won't bring them in.
Regards,
Phil

 

[treevet]

It is said that an unhealthy ash or a barely less than 100% protected (chems) act the same as an ash just about to die (emitting compounds from the phloem, as I was quoted) so they are just as attractive to the pest. The idea of the indicator tree is they know where they are and they are monitored to find out early on. In our area there are no eab police and you don t see any eab busts w lights flashing. I doubt there has been any or a miniscule amt of enforcement. There is absolutely no one checking woodchips that by law have to be less than one inch dia and chuck and ducks don t go that small. Chips are constantly dropped in yards that come from infested areas for mulch IMO. The reality, they can t afford enforcement and eab will be visiting a town near you soon.

 

[Grace Tree]

I would guess that some of the services based in Geauga Co.and working in Cuyahoga Co. are secretly hoping that Geauga would become part of the quaranteened area. It seems like everybody and their brother around here has a tub grinder and it must be costly to find a dump in Cuyahoga.
Phil

 

[treevet]

I would guess that some of the services based in Geauga Co.and working in Cuyahoga Co. are secretly hoping that Geauga would become part of the quaranteened area. It seems like everybody and their brother around here has a tub grinder and it must be costly to find a dump in Cuyahoga.
Phil

It aways comes down to $ in the end.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

It aways comes down to $ in the end.

It has to if taxes are paying for it. Unless they come up with a special assesment

Have also herd of tree company that suggest removal of healthy ash trees before it get EAB because it might save them money if they have some work done now .

There is a red herring if I ever saw one. In most of the areas with eradication the price for removals has gone down due to volume pricing and the increase in the number of "tree services" in the area.

None of us will get rich off of EAB, though if one plays it right, they may pick up some long term clientel by offering to work other trees on the property.

Another one is all these people getting mills to handle logs, and no one has a kiln or other lumber processing equipment.

Bulid a co-op, one has a kiln, one planer or sander, then you can service several small mill operations.

The people who will make the real money are the ones who can figure out how to make things, ie old style drop leaf kitchen tables, that can be sell the wood on a value added basis.

 

[Grace Tree]

I supose it does come down to $$$, treevet, but if I was in their position and the infestation seemed inevitable I might look at it the same way. A few years ago I ran into an entimologist who had just received a grant to work on EAB in Michigan. I asked her what exactly she was doing and she told me that she went and looked at dead trees all day. I'm sure she wished that she was playing some part in stopping EAB but her first concern was that she had a grant that would carry her through the summer. $$$$
Phil

 

[treevet]

My supply place is stocked up w Safari and Pentrabark. My town is all but signed up for 150,000$ Safari and Pentrabark applic. We don t have eab here yet and only one study has been done w this product and results are sketchy at best. Somebody will make the big $ on this but it prob won t be us. Were too ethical and we ll take the blame for it not working. You know where blame goes w lizzard lawyers slithering around everywhere.

 

[ATH]

Tanglefoot would be used on larvae such as gypsy moth and cankerworm that would come down on a strand where the wind blows them then climb up in the canopy to feed. Not the scenerio here.

Not my idea, but that is what "they" had been doing. FS may still be doing it, but I think the States have moved away from it because as you pointed out, this probably isn't the best method. link to one article describing method (see paragraph about 1/2 way down).

 

[ATH]

Somebody will make the big $ on this but it prob won t be us. Were too ethical and we ll take the blame for it not working. You know where blame goes w lizzard lawyers slithering around everywhere.

That is probably the safest bet for now. I have been wrestling with this is on a smaller scale (individual homeowners). It is best to treat ahead of an infestation, but who knows how far into the future that is??? Which treatment will still be working best 15 years from now??? How effective will any of the treatments even be 15 years later???