The Emerald Ash Borer has Reached New Hampshire

On a brisk afternoon in February, I joined a group of conservation commission members and other interested people at a workshop to learn how to identify and manage the infestation of ash trees by the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) that is spreading throughout New Hampshire. The EAB, a native of  Asia, where it is only a minor pest, was first discovered in the United States in Michigan in 2002. Two years ago this month, the first case of an infected tree was identified in New Hampshire. Infestations of ash trees spread rapidly, with a female beetle laying 60 to 90 eggs. When the eggs hatch, the larvae burrow underneath the bark, creating serpentine galleries. This impacts the tree's ability to take up nutrients and water, and eventually result in its decline. The adult beetles are very fast flyers and can travel up to a half a mile. It was depressing to hear that, unless regularly treated with an insecticide, a costly endeavor, both financially and environmentally, all of New Hampshire's three varieties of native ash trees will disappear completely in the not too distant future. The workshop was sponsored by the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions, University of NH Cooperative Extension and the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food. 

Participants at the outdoor portion of the EAB workshop look at a tree that has been destroyed by this invasive insect

One of the easily recognizable signs of  an EAB infestation is a condition called "blonding." This is when bits of tree bark are stripped away by woodpeckers in order to access the larvae underneath. Even though the woodpeckers can consumer a tremendous number of larvae, an infected tree will still eventually die.

The tree above is showing early signs of blonding, while the tree below has been completely stripped of it's outer bark.

By shaving off the bark, the distinctive "S" shaped tunnels are visible.

The workshop was sponsored by the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions, University of NH Cooperative Extension, and the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food. The following websites provides identification information as well as recommendations for community planning and actions that can be taken to deal with this invasive pest at the community level.

•  http://www.emeraldashborer.info

•  http://nhbugs.org/ (to report infected trees; a map of infested areas in NH, and links to other resources)