By Thea Hassan:
The emerald ash borer beetle has reached Erie County. Discovered last week in South park, the arrival of the invasive species could be bad news for Buffalo’s ash trees.
You may have read the Buffalo News article on the subject, “Tree lovers gird for beetle invasion.” If you are not a tree lover, do not fear. This beetle may be destructive enough that even those with ambivalent feelings about trees can be concerned.
First discovered in Michigan in 2002, the invasive species can now be found in 14 states and has claimed at least 50 million ash trees. Predicted to be as devastating as the Chestnut blight and the Dutch Elm Disease, the city of Buffalo, Buffalo Olmsted Conservancy, and the NY DEC had been bracing for the arrival of this bastardly beetle.
“We knew about the coming of the beetle for many years,” said Kevin Hanna, director of operations at Buffalo Olmsted Conservancy.
In fact, one day before the sighting, Shane Daley, arborist for the Buffalo Olmsted Conservancy, held a training class on the Ash Borer Beetle for Olmsted employees. The following day, Olmsted’s volunteer coordinator Steven Nagowski was walking with a group of volunteers. Nagowski noticed markings of the beetle on an ash tree, unique holes the beetle leaves behind when boring out of the bark to exit the tree.
The DEC was called in to confirm the infestation. Though the infestation was luckily caught when still light, with less than a dozen trees infected, action must be taken quickly to save the healthy trees. The ashes must be inoculated with a treatment which can prevent infestation for up to two years. The inoculation kills any larvae that try to burrow into the tree. This prevents the tree from being infested and also helps contain the spread of the beetle by keeping populations at bay.
Inoculation for South park is estimated to exceed $10,000, according to Hanna, and Olmsted is footing the bill through private donations. About 1,200 percent of the trees within the Olmsted park system, equivalent to about ten percent of the total tree population.
The city of Buffalo had also been preparing for the beetles arrival, with ash having been taken off its list of trees planted in the city. Only two percent of city trees are ash.
In addition to the inoculation, Olmsted, the city of Buffalo, and the DEC are working together to keep a close eye on the ash trees to monitor for any further signs of beetle infestation.
With no natural resistance to the beetle, ash trees have a 100 percent mortality rate if no human intervention is taken. Beetle larvae tunnel into the bark of the tree, cutting off the flow of water and nutrients. The tree will starve to death within two to four years of infestation.
Officials believe the beetle made its way to America via ash wood shipping pallets from Asia in 1990s.