Emerald Ash Borer Impacts Every Ohioan

Nurseries stuck with thousands of trees. Woodland owners at risk of losing timber investment. Heating and cooling costs on the rise. These headlines may sound like the effects of a dwindling economy, but all of this is occurring because of a little green insect called the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), which can kill perfectly healthy ash trees. EAB’s impact — both environmental and economic — is being felt all over Ohio.

In fact, nearly one out of every 10 trees in Ohio is an ash, making the species an important component in Ohioans’ yards, parks, tree-lined streets and rural forests.

Ash is a major wetland and waterway tree, keeping area streams and rivers cool and clean. Tourist areas, campgrounds, parks, and schoolyards all are facing the loss of the shade and character visitors love. Ash offers forest diversity, valuable hardwood lumber, and protection for a number of other forest plants and animals. Not to mention, ash is a popular landscape tree.

Community streets, parks, and yards all over Ohio planted with ash trees are facing the loss of property value, summer cooling effects, and massive removal costs as a result of EAB.

Estimated costs to Ohio residents and businesses for removal, disposal and replacement of ash trees is in the billions of dollars over the coming decades.

Individuals need to keep a close eye on their trees and take the best action for the situation. Ash is a tricky species due to its structural nature: as it declines and dies, large branches break or the entire tree topples over soon after death. Therefore, the safety hazard created by EAB in communities littered with dead ash trees creates a costly and dangerous problem for municipal leaders and homeowners. Dead and dying trees cost significantly more to remove because of the unpredictable nature of the wood. Safely removing trees around homes, buildings and backyards compounds the cost of dead tree removal. To head off these concerns, several Ohio communities are working to systematically remove ash trees in advance of the borer.

EAB Contacts

Emerald Ash Borer Information - www.emeraldashborer.info

To find a local certified Arborist - http://www.isa-arbor.com/faca/findArborist.aspx

To report an EAB infestation, contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture by calling toll-free 1- 888-OHIO-EAB, or visit www.ohioagriculture.gov/eab.

For urban forest management assistance, contact the Ohio Division of Forestry at 1-877-247- 8733, or visit www.ohiodnr.com/forestry.

For questions regarding yard trees and pesticide recommendations, read this Fact Sheet or contact the local Ohio State University Extension Office at 513-887-3722.

BEWARE: Emerald Ash Borer Scams Already Being Reported

Cincinnati area residents have fallen victim to a scam in which they are informed by an alleged tree company that the trees on their property is infected by the Emerald Ash Borer. Usually, the property owner is approached with some urgency to remove the affected trees. In some cases, a full payment in the thousands of dollars has been reported. In other cases, a significant deposit is made on the work.

The City does not recommend specific arborists or tree care companies. The City strongly recommends using trained professionals who have achieved, and maintain, certification with the International Society of Arboriculture. A search engine for finding arborists with these credentials is available at www.isa-arbor.com. Residents are strongly encouraged to only work with tree companies who have shown proof of workers compensation and insurance.

Respect Quarantines: Don’t Move Firewood

Ohio Department of Agriculture’s (ODA) has issued a quarantine prohibiting the movement of all nonconiferous firewood, ash trees and all parts of ash trees from being moved out of quarantined areas. As of September 2010, all 88 counties in Ohio have been quarantined.  The quaratine stipulates that ash materials and hardwood firewood cannot be taken from a quarantined area into a non-quarantined area.  Despite the fact that quarantining the whole state will allow for ease of movement of ash materials and hardwood firewood, it is recommended that Ohioans continue to exercise caution when moving these materials.  The Ohio Department of Agriculture strongly urges Ohioans to buy firewood locally.