A Stroll Through the Garden: The Asian longhorned beetle poses a threat to trees
If I were to mention the phelophagan chestnut moth, the European elm bark beetle, and the emerald ash borer, where do your thoughts go? These insects all have one thing in common: They have been very successful in attacking our forests in one way or another. No one amongst us knows or could possibly come close to remembering the beautiful American chestnut trees that were resistant to rot, long and straight and truly preferred by many in the furniture industry for the beauty of the wood. Very few of us will remember the elm trees that were sentinels along many streets in the Eastern part of the U.S. Now we have been watching this last insect devastate our forests in Ohio. I have seen this emerald ash borer cause serious harm to some of the trees in my own woods.
Some may not have an opinion about whether we lose such members of our forest, but I do.
I remember reading how this emerald ash borer (EAB) was quarantined in Michigan and that the Department of Natural Resources was having a limited level of success in controlling the insect and that EAB was not spreading. Well, the quarantines fell apart. DNR wanted to control this insect by restricting locally harvested firewood with this insect’s eggs from leaving the quarantined area. This did not work. Last week I saw some dead emerald ash borers on some sticky traps in Secrest Arboretum in their street tree range. These insects will need to start to expand their menu to survive.
Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) are one of the current threats to our forests. Just like the previous three insects mentioned, the ALB is native to China and Korea and can be devastating to natural and urban forests here in Ohio. ALB came on wooden packing material, pallets and crates. In 1996 ALB came to our shores through New York City and spread through the U.S. and reached New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio and Ontario, Canada. Here is the good news: This beetle has been exterminated in New Jersey, Ontario and parts of New York.
Here in Ohio ALB was discovered in Clermont County in June of 2011 and a group calling themselves the Ohio ALB Eradication Program went to work. This lead group coordinated help from five different governmental groups. Their focus was a state park near Batavia, Ohio, which is next door to Cincinnati in Clermont County. Their quarantine was to regulate removal of logs, trees, tree trimmings, chipped wood larger than one inch in two dimensions, and all firewood. Here is the great part. From 2021 to 2022, there were 57 acres under the quarantine and earlier this year this beetle narrowed its invasion by 7.5 acres or to below 50 acres. Keep in mind how fast the emerald ash borer decimated our forests. This quarantine has worked well so far.
One thing I do know is that if the emerald ash borer reveals anything important, these quarantines are not perfect control for insects that can be a threat to our forests. Therefore, we shall talk soon about more of the challenges that the Asian longhorned beetle poses. This beetle has a potential at harming much of our maple wood forests.
Hope you have a great stroll through your garden this week. If you see a challenge in your own yard, drop me an email at ericlarson546@yahoo.com and I shall try to help. Soon I shall be putting my column on my blog that you can view on my website at ohiohealthyfoodcooperative.org. Thank you for participating in our column.
Eric Larson of Jeromesville is a veteran landscaper and gardening enthusiast and a founding board member of the Ohio Chapter of Association of Professional Landscape Designers.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: The Asian longhorned beetle in Ohio
