Nestle into nature

  Old Rag Master Naturalists
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Chapter Administration
    • Sponsoring Agencies & Partners
    • In Memory Of
  • Events & News
    • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Chapter Awards & Recognition
    • Spotlight on Members and Presenters
    • Newsletters
  • Training & Education
    • Become a VMN >
      • Class XII Updates
    • Continuing Education >
      • Continuing Education Programs
      • CE Resources >
        • Field Guides
        • Nature Books & Readings
  • Volunteer Projects
    • Approved Volunteer Project
    • Project Accessibility Information
    • Activities by Interest >
      • Activities From Home
      • Animals
      • Birds
      • Habitats & Trails
      • Plants & Trees
      • Pollinators
    • New Project Proposal Request
  • Nature Blog
  • Contact Us

Ash Trees - Death and hope

1/31/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
As many master naturalists know, the emerald ash borer (Agrilus plenipennis) has been decimating native ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees throughout Virginia for several years. Most ash are in stages of decline, some as dead standing timber, many already toppled by winds or chainsaws. These hazard trees are causing municipalities, state and federal landowners and private organizations and citizens millions of dollars a year to manage and remove.
​The impact is not only financial but also ecological as ash trees frequently grow next to rivers, streams and ponds. Such trees help create a healthy riparian area as the foliage helps cool the water in the summer, twigs and leaves fall into the water and help provide habitat for aquatic life and the trees’ roots aid in preventing erosion.
The loss of this valuable native tree is a serious blow following the death of native hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) which have been widely killed by the hemlock woolly adelgid and which grew in similar sites as ash along waterways.
The larvae of the beetle is the life stage which causes the damage by feeding inside the tree and disrupting the flow of water and nutrients. Depending on the overall health of the tree and climate conditions, the larvae can kill a tree within two or three years.
Emerald ash borer (EAB) is native to Asia and was first discovered in Michigan in 2002 and in Virginia in 2003 (Fairfax County) and again in 2008 (again, Fairfax County following eradication of the first outbreak).
EAB has now spread extensively to 31 states and into Canada. In fact, one of the easiest ways to recognize ash now is the “blonding” of the bark –where woodpeckers remove the bark in search of the larvae.
EAB has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees but there is a glimmer of hope: four parasitoid wasps  from China have been released at test sites in Michigan which are showing promise of decreasing EAB populations.
At the recent 2018 Virginia Association of Forest Health Professionals conference, researcher Jian Duan provided a presentation on these wasps and explained that biological control can protect small ash trees and saplings and may help ash regeneration and recovery in the aftermath of EAB invasion but several questions remain: Will the parasitoid wasps spread on their own? How many releases will be needed to establish a healthy population of the wasps? Will different wasps be needed in different parts of the country?
More research is needed and is on-going by many state and federal agencies and universities but at least there is some hope that our beautiful native ash trees can regenerate following the damage by emerald ash borer.
​

Picture
Ash flowers
Picture
Ash bark stripped by woodpeckers seeking EAB larvae
Picture
"D" shaped exit holes in the ash bark where the adult emerald ash borer exits
Picture
Bark removed by woodpeckers looking for EAB larvae
0 Comments
    Subscribe

    Have a blog or blog idea? 
    ​​Let us know (click)   

    The Reading Corner 
    Books  - Click Here
    Field Guides - Click Here 
    Other Blogs
    VA Native Plant Society - click 
    Brenda Clement Jones - click
    John Muir Laws' Blog - click   
    ​Megan's Nature Nook - click

    Categories

    All
    Biodiversity
    Birds
    Butterflies & Pollinators
    Climate
    General Nature
    Habitat
    Insects
    Invasives
    Mammals
    Podcasts
    Public Lands
    Reptiles And Amphibians
    Stream Monitoring
    Trees

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    August 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016



    Blog Administrator:
    Kathleen A.
    ​VMN since 2018
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Chapter Administration
    • Sponsoring Agencies & Partners
    • In Memory Of
  • Events & News
    • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Chapter Awards & Recognition
    • Spotlight on Members and Presenters
    • Newsletters
  • Training & Education
    • Become a VMN >
      • Class XII Updates
    • Continuing Education >
      • Continuing Education Programs
      • CE Resources >
        • Field Guides
        • Nature Books & Readings
  • Volunteer Projects
    • Approved Volunteer Project
    • Project Accessibility Information
    • Activities by Interest >
      • Activities From Home
      • Animals
      • Birds
      • Habitats & Trails
      • Plants & Trees
      • Pollinators
    • New Project Proposal Request
  • Nature Blog
  • Contact Us