IOWA OFFICIALS HIGHLIGHT EFFORTS TO PREVENT AND DETECT
EMERALD ASH BORER FOLLOWING NEW DISCOVERY IN WISCONSIN
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
New Infestation Discovered Across Mississippi River in Wisconsin
Following the discovery of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) just across the
Mississippi River from the Iowa-Wisconsin border, members of the Iowa
Emerald Ash Borer Team today highlighted steps being taken to prevent an
infestation in Iowa and detect the beetle if it is in the state. EAB is an
invasive beetle that feeds on ash trees and eventually kills them.
The new infestation was found near Victory, Wis. on the east bank of the
Mississippi River across from Allamakee County in Northeast Iowa. This new
infestation is less than 5 miles southeast of the Minnesota-Iowa border.
The Iowa Emerald Ash Borer Team includes officials from the Iowa Department
of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension and the
Iowa Department of Natural Resources, USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) and the USDA Forest Service
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is native to the Orient, and was introduced in
the United States near Detroit, Mich. in the 1990s. Although not yet found
in Iowa, EAB has more potential for future harm to Iowa forests and urban
communities than any other insect currently being dealt with in the United
States.
EAB kills all ash (Fraxinus) species by larval burrowing under the bark and
eating the actively growing (cambium) layers of the trees. EAB has been
killing trees of various sizes in neighborhoods and woodlands. Ash is one of
the most abundant native tree species in North America, and has been heavily
planted as a landscape tree in yards and other urban areas. According to
recent sources, Iowa has an estimated 58 million rural ash trees and
approximately 30 more million urban ash trees.
The movement of out-of-state firewood to and through Iowa poses the greatest
threat to spread EAB. Areas currently infested are under federal and state
quarantines, but unknowing campers or others who transport firewood can
spark an outbreak.
Each member of the Iowa Emerald Ash Borer Team is taking steps to monitor
Iowa's ash trees and ensure that the beetle has not spread into Iowa by
examining high risk sites. The Iowa EAB team has defined high risk sites as
locations where people would bring out-of state wood, such as campgrounds,
nurseries and sawmills.
DNR estimates there are up to as many as 5 million ash trees in Allamakee
County, this represents about 5% of the trees in the forested areas of this
county. Allamakee is the most forested county in Iowa with 42% of the land
covered by trees (176,000 acres of forest). Iowa agencies in cooperation
with USDA-APHIS and Forest Service will be working together to survey for
EAB.
Monitoring efforts include visual surveys at high risk sites by Iowa State
University, DNR's placement of sentinel ash trees that are intentionally
stressed so that they are more attractive to EAB, and the placement of
purple sticky traps around the state that attracts and traps the insect by a
collaborative effort among APHIS and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and
Land Stewardship.
Team members will be working with Wisconsin and Minnesota officials in
response to this new discovery and will be conducting additional visual
surveys in the area in the coming weeks.
To learn more about EAB and other pests that are threatening Iowa's tree
population please visit www.IowaTreePests.com.
Or, for more information contact:
Robin Pruisner, is the State Entomologist and can be reached at (515)
725-1465 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask] .
Tivon Feeley, with DNR Forest Health, can be reached at (515) 281-4915 or
by e-mail at [log in to unmask] .
Jesse Randall, ISU Extension Forester, can be reached at (515) 294-1168 or
by email at [log in to unmask] .
Mark Shour, ISU Extension Entomologist, can be reached at (515) 294-5963 or
by email at [log in to unmask] .
Laura Jesse, ISU Entomologist at the ISU Plant & Insect Diagnostic Clinic,
at (515) 294-0581 or by email at [log in to unmask] .
Donald Lewis, ISU Entomologist, can be reached at (515) 294-1101 or by email
at [log in to unmask] .
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