The Emerald Ash Borer: A Forest Fire on Wings

By: Dane Weeks

September 19, 2015

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a small, metallic green beetle that is responsible for
millions of dollars of damage and capable of much more. The EAB, native to eastern Asia was
first discovered in the United States in 2002 in Detroit, Michigan and eventually made its way to
the Cincinnati area in 2007. Since its arrival to the US, just over a decade ago, the pest has left a
path of destruction, killing nearly 4 billion ash trees. The aptly named EAB has only been shown
to target ash trees. The destruction occurs quickly and quietly; the tree will not show symptoms
until it has been infected for nearly a year and it will be dead within three years. Sadly, it seems
that humans are mostly to blame for the spread of the EAB. With the ability to only fly in a
mile radius the EAB has spread to 21 states and 2 Canadian providences in just a over a decade.
US Forest Service officials believe that the illegal movement of firewood across state lines is to
blame.
Concerned with the future implications the EAB may have on local forests, Miami
University PhD candidate, Brian Hoven, began researching the effects that ash mortality were
having on understory development. Mr. Hoven said that the EAB is so destructive in North
America because it is an invasive species, meaning that it is not native to North American
ecosystems. Invasive species often thrive because they are no longer in a habitat with their
natural predators so they are able to feed and reproduced with little hindrance. Brians research
was largely inspired by the pivotal role ash trees have in Ohios ecology and economy. Ash trees
make up 12% of trees in Ohio (second to the maple), they are the source of wood for the popular
baseball bat company, Louisville Slugger, and are a popular street tree because of the shade they
provide. Factoring in the costs of treatment, removal, and replacement it is estimated that the
EAB has the potential to cost the state of Ohio $3billion and private homeowners $1billion.

(Photo credit: Lexington Parks) Two Emerald Ash Borers next to the D-shaped holes they create.

Brian Hoven fears that ash trees are just the start in a chain reaction of economic and
ecological problems caused by the EAB. From 2012-2015, Brian, along with Dr. Kathleen
Knight and Dr. David Gorchov, studied how ash tree mortality affect the future composition of
local forests. Because of the ash trees large size and canopy width, a great deal of light becomes
available after they die. To understand what happens after ash trees die, Brian began studying 24
plots in Western Ohio. In these plots Brian measure the ash trees health on a scale of 1-5 (1
being dead, 5 being uninfected), the tree seedlings, and the area covered by Amur honeysuckle.
Brian choose to measure Amur honeysuckle because like the EAB, it is an invasive species
(Johnson et al., 2006). Invasive plants negatively impact native vegetation by choking them out
in a competition for resources. Amur honeysuckle is especially successful because it grows
faster than native plants and it is less likely to be preyed upon by native wildlife.

(Photo Credit: Detroit Metro Parks) Detroit, Michigan. The EAB wastes no time destroying
once healthy trees.
Brians results showed a significant correlation between ash health decline, an increase in
Amur honeysuckle cover, and a decrease in native seedlings (oak, maple, birch, etc.) (Hoven et
al., 2015). Despite the bleak outlook, Mr. Hoven believes there is a lot the public can do to
mitigate the problem. Currently the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a federal
quarantine to a majority of the eastern United States, including Ohio. Moving firewood outside
of a quarantined area can result in federal penalties, regardless of quarantine status all 50 states
do not allow movement of wood across state lines.

(Photo Credit: USDA) Federal EAB quarantine map

In addition to not moving firewood, citizens can also help quarantine the area by being
proactive if they have an ash tree on their land. If you own an ash tree you should either have it
cut down or treated with insecticide immediately says Hoven. Homeowners have the option to
treat their tree with a less expensive, annual soil drench or spend a little extra on a biannual
insecticide injection. Both have proven to be effective.

Our local conservation efforts have the potential to impact the entire United States and
Southern Canada. Mitigating this pest protects our local trees and decreases the probability of
the EAB distribution significantly expanding. Ash trees will be only the first domino to fall in a
series of ecological consequences if proactive measures arent taken immediately.

References
Hoven, B., Gorchov, D., Knight, K. The Effect of an Invasive Shrub and Emerald Ash BorerCaused Tree Mortality of Tree Seedling Survival and Recruitment of Ohio Deciduous Forests.
Ecology Society of America, 58-71
Johnson, V., Litvaitis, J., Lee, T., & Frey, S. (n.d.). The Role of Spatial and Temporal Scale in
Colonization and Spread of Invasive Shrubs in Early Successional Habitats. Forest Ecology and
Management, 124-134.