EAB Press Release

[5.9cummins]

EAB has now bee found in Bath and Saugerties.

7_22_10_EAB.pdf

[SteveB]

Not good.

Even worse then the "earn a buck" that I thought EAB stood for.

[Doc]

I'm still trying to understand this study that is being conducted. There seems to be a massive effort trying to track the spread of the emerald ash borer. What are they going to do once they find out it is here? Do they have any counter-measures in mind that can do something about it, or is the information gathering just something to satisfy curiosity? Anybody know?

[WNYBuckHunter]

Im pretty sure, from what Ive heard, that there is nothing they can really do to stop it once it hits an area. They are just trying to slow the spread of it and track it.

[Doc]

Do they really have any procedures for slowing the advance? I haven't heard of any other than campaigns against transporting firewood from one place to another.

I guess what I'm getting at is that this activity looks like a pretty expensive operation. I just hope it has more purpose than simply satisfying curiosity.

To me it sounds like a foregone conclusion that we are going to lose our ash trees. That's a shame, but in our area something has been killing them off for decades, and we have darn few that ever really amount to anything.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Nope, the firewood thing is the only thing I have heard of. The state is taking advantage of this, anyone that camps in a state park will know it too. Not only can you not bring firewood with you if you live outside the 50 mile radius, but you now have to fill out forms to buy firewood from the people with their little stands right around the parks. They are making it a pain in the butt for people to get firewood anywhere other than in their camp stores, where it is expensive. Just another NY money grab. Not moving the firewood is not going to be effective at stopping the beetles.

[Doc]

Yeah, I did a bit of internet searching and pretty much getthe same impression. There are some chemical cures that last about 2 years, but they all seem to be requiring injections into the cambial layer of each individual tree. That's not exactly practical for turning back an invasion of these critters. Also I guess most of these limited remedies are fairly expensive. So the firewodd thing is the only defense and it is not a foolproof defense.

It doesn't look good, and all the triagular shaped boxes are not going to stop what looks like the inevitable.

By the way, it turns out that the EAB is another accidentally introduced invader. It's not even native to this hemisphere. I guess we don't ever learn.

[5.9cummins]

The little purple boxes are a survey tool nothing more. There only purpose is to locate the beetle. They are put up by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are approximately 8500 traps that have been put out across the state but they are only about 6% effective and yes it is expensive.

Once there is a detection a quarantine will follow. The purpose of the quarantine is to SLOW the spread not stop it. Stopping it is impossible short of a silver bullet which doesn't exist yet. The only way to save a tree is with insecticide injections which are not fees-able on a large scale but if you want to save a couple high value trees (I.E. landscape / yard trees) it is doable.

You can trace the majority of infestations back to firewood. Not that im agreeing with DECs firewood regs. You can get camp wood from any back road vendor that has wood for sale and issue yourself a permit for it (the system is a joke really).

http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/selfisscert.pdf

As for it being introduced anything that is a problem is usually introduced. Historically they came from Europe and i think the majority of introductions is now coming from Asia. All the following are examples (Dutch Elm Disease, Gypsy Moth, European Corn Borer, Chestnut Blight, Japanese Beetle, Light Brown Apple Moth, Sirex Noctilio (European wood wasp), Lobesia Bartrana (European Grape Vine Moth), Asian Long horn Beetle, EAB Etc. Etc. Etc.) The list goes on and on. 

So keep buying cheap Asian imports. Asian Imports = wood packaging material = more invasive pests.

Buy American - yes it will cost more but you will get quality products, support other Americans and keep these little SOB's out of the country.

And on a personal note if you cant afford to buy American maybe you should learn to do without.

By the way ALB (above in red) will make EAB look like a joke if it is not eradicated - Kiss the sugar maple good bye.

As for walking away from it i hope everyone likes there village, town, county taxes going up not to mention utility bills. The removal cost for hazard trees and utility upkeep is going to be astronomical. Toledo OH is looking at around 400K this year in removal costs and its just starting. NY has about 900 million ash trees (the majority of which will not need removal) but ash was the favored street tree replacement for elm after dutch elm disease went through and NY's southern tier has the highest ash density anywhere in North America. Plus the timber industry (bat and tool handle manufacturers) will take a huge hit.

just my 2 cents

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Everyone is scrammbling right now on this. The timber company I lease my land from just notified me they are moving up the scheduled harvest date for our track and strip cutting the ash from it. Hopes are they get it out and to market before the kill offfrom the beetles

[5.9cummins]

Here is a link to a tree removal cost calculator.

http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/treecomputer/

And a press release from the Forest Advisory Council.

EAB_NY_Forest_Health_Advisory_Council_Statement_27July10.pdf

[growalot]

On the other side of this...unfortunately...imagine the profit to any one starting up a wood drying kiln......

[5.9cummins]

On the other side of this...unfortunately...imagine the profit to any one starting up a wood drying kiln......

I wouldn't count on it. Still too many places that you don't need a kiln that are supplying lumber. Not to mention the market is flooded with ash right now its all being liquidated.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

5.9 is right ...the market is flooded and many stands are being harvested at much smaller sizes that is desired. That means more cuts to yeaild the lumber so less is being paid for the logs

[bpb]

I'm still trying to understand this study that is being conducted. There seems to be a massive effort trying to track the spread of the emerald ash borer. What are they going to do once they find out it is here? Do they have any counter-measures in mind that can do something about it, or is the information gathering just something to satisfy curiosity? Anybody know?

It's already here , I lost a tree 3 yrs ago to them.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Theres an article in the Rochester D&C that they have been confirmed in Monroe County and people saying they found them in Livingston County as well. The fin in Monroe county included dead trees, suggesting that they have been there for over a year already.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100810/NEWS01/8100327/1003/Ash-borers-confirmed-in-Monroe-County

[5.9cummins]

Its confirmed in Monroe and Livingston. The find in Monroe looks a lot like what where it was found in Randolph - multiple years of infestation.

[bigd]

maybe we need to import a little more from china and other foriegn countries just like the asian carp and the zebra mussels. maybe all of these manufactures that manufacture and import from other areas of the world be charged with fighting these pests that are ruining our environment since they save so much on manufacturing

[Nomad]

I got 40 some ash trees all around my house ... Having 25 cut removed,stumps ground.Treating the rest .You can save single trees, its not cheap, some of my bigger tress are $250 -$300 a tree every 2 years for 6 years .

Some of our hunting woods are in for a big change......

[Doc]

We've been losing ash trees for quite a few years. It's very unusual to see one that is 10" in diameter. They still seem to propagate and grow for a number of years, but then just die. It has not been this borer that has killed them either because there are none of those trails under the bark or the "D" shaped holes.

Doc

[Nomad]

want to see big ones like come to my yard some are 24 inches across...... many 15 plus. I wish i did not have them !!! When all is said and done I'm shelling out 9 k to save the ones I am.

Getting a GREAT deal on the ones cut down though !

If you have them act fast,my arborer (sp ) is taking 150 calls a day, in a year or so he expects theprice to TRIPLE on removal If you can find anyone who is not booked a couple years out.

I've known him for 35 years, I'm not getting the sales pitch.