Forestry
Have You Seen This Pest?
In July 2009, one adult Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) beetle was found in the City of Green Bay stuck to a Purple Panel Detection Trap set by the State of Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Protection. To date no other adult Emerald Ash Borers (EAB) have been found on the detection traps nor has an infested ash tree been found in the City of Green Bay or Brown County.
The Green Bay Forestry Division continues to work cooperatively with State agencies to survey the City of Green Bay to find a population of EAB. A recent tree inventory (2009) of 35,000 street trees in Green Bay indicate there are 7,497 ash street trees. Ash trees make up 21 percent of the street tree population in Green Bay. This does not account for the number of ash trees present in our parks system or ash trees on private property. Research figures suggest the total number of ash trees for an urban area including those on private property can be estimated by multiplying the number of street trees by 7. Using this calculation it is safe to say in the City of Green Bay there are tens of thousands of ash trees potentially at risk from this pest.
For more information on Emerald Ash Borer please visit Wisconsin's Emerald Ash Borer Information Source>> or Emerald Ash Borer>> (These links will take you off site)
What is the Green Bay Forestry Division Doing about EAB?
For over the last five years Green Bay Forestry has been working cooperatively with The WI Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Protection (WIDATCP) to survey the City for EAB. The Forestry Crews have removed ash trees for WIDATCP survey crews to bark peel looking for the beetle larva that kill the ash tree. To date no EAB Larvae have been found in an ash tree in the City of Green Bay. In 2010, WIDATCP set and monitored 125 purple panel traps in the City of Green Bay to detect EAB populations. NO adult EAB beetles were found on any traps in Green Bay or Brown County. Green Bay Forestry continues to monitor ash trees looking for signs and symptoms related to EAB activity during routine forestry operations.
The City of Green Bay Forestry Division no longer plants ash trees in the parks or along the City streets. Ash trees in the parks and along the City streets are monitored for signs of decline or structural instability and are removed at that time.
During the Spring/Summer of 2010, Green Bay Forestry treated a select number of White Ash located within a 1.5 mile radius of the adult beetle find in 2009. Only healthy white ash trees located in areas with plenty of grow space and no utility lines were selected for the treatment. The intent of the treatment is to protect desirable white ash from an infestation of EAB. Eradication of this pest is not a viable option and has never been successfully completed. Treatment of select trees is a management tool to allow for a more systematic reduction of the ash tree population.
What can I do to Protect my Tree from Emerald Ash Borer?
There are treatment options for protecting your ash tree from being infested with EAB. However research indicates that no available treatment is 100 percent effective. Some treatment options are available to the homeowner to do themselves, other treatments require a professional certified pesticide applicator to make the treatment. Treatments can be costly and will need to be repeated for the life of the tree. For more info on homeowner management options visit Wisconsin's Emerald Ash Borer Information Source>> and select "For Homeowners" tab.
Before considering any treatment, make sure that the tree is actually an ash tree! Only ash trees are susceptible to EAB, Mountain Ash trees are not true ash and NOT susceptible to EAB.
The best preventive tool we have at this time is to not move firewood or wood packing material like pallets that are made from ash wood. Currently there is a quarantine for Brown County prohibiting the movement of hardwood firewood or ash logs outside of the county unless certified by WIDATCP. It is also recommended to not purchase or move firewood from another county to Brown County. The fastest way to spread EAB is by moving infested firewood to another site. Visit Don't Move Firewood.org>> for more informaiton.
If you have an ash tree that you think may have EAB, contact the City of Green Bay Forestry Division at 448-3365.