Emerald Ash Borer Domonstration Trail

8/6/2019 Emerald Ash Borer Domonstration Trail

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The Emerald Ash Borer:Small Isect; Big Problem

Look closely at a penny. An emerald ash borer (EAB) can t right on top o

one. For its small size, this insect has caused large problems. Follow

the signs rom #1 through #7 to learn more about this exotic insect and its

impact on the environment.

The EAB is responsible or killing millions o ash trees in 15 states(Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, West

Virginia, Virginia, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania,

and Wisconsin); two Canadian Provinces, and more than two-thirds o the

counties in Ohio. This slender-bodied metallic green beetle arrived in

North America rom Eastern Asia, most likely hidden in wooden material

used in shipping.

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A Timelie of Destrctio:The Wor of a Ivasive Species

Look around this area behind the signs and count the ash tree stumps.

Many ash trees needed to be cut at Pearson as a result o the emerald ash

borer. More than 850 trees were cut in 2010 and 2011, while several thou-

sand others have allen or have needed to be removed as hazard trees in

recent years.

2010-2012 Metroparks receives ARRA

grant unding to continue to deal with the

eects o EAB on orest ecosystems. Partnering

with the U.S. Forest Service, the park district

continues removing hazardous ash trees,

controlling invasive species that move in and

planting thousands o replacement trees.

EAB TIMELINE

Before 2002

Unknown in

North America

June 2002

First ash trees killed

by EAB in southeast

Michigan and

Windsor, Ontario

February 2003

EAB discovered in

Ohio, near Toledo

2003-2005

Ohio Department o Agricul-

ture three-part strategic plan

to prevent urther spread o the

destructive insect.

2003 Ohio Department o Agriculture

begins the process o eradicating the

emerald ash borer on Metroparks lands

by cutting ash trees. During this time,

Pearson and parts o the Oak Openings

Preserve were closed to the public.

2005-2008

Metroparks begins mapping dead

hazardous ash trees posing the greatest

saety risk to park visitors and build-

ings. With unding rom Metroparks

general operating levy, these hazardous

ash trees were removed using trained

sta and private contractors.

2008

Metroparks continues to

remove hazardous ash

trees, but limited und-

ing is insufcient to deal

with the magnitude o

the problem.

2009

Metroparks applies or ederal

unding through the American

Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

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Carvig Ot TheFtre of Or Forests

Below this sign is an ash log with emerald ash borer tunnels or galleries.

Use your nger to trace the S shaped designs that the worm-like larvae

has created or carved by eeding on the wood into tunnels under the bark.

As the larvae eed underneath the bark, they damage (or destroy) the

phloem, and etch the xylem. The phloem carries the ood made in theleaves down to the rest o the plant including the roots. The xylem moves

water rom the roots upward throughout the canopy.

As the fow is eventually cut o, large canopy trees die quickly. Without

these trees, the amount o light reaching the orest foor increases, which

has impacts on the understory environment. These impacts aect plant

and animal habitats in various ways, as well as oster the spread o invasiveplants, such as garlic mustard, honeysuckle, buckthorn, and thistle.

Honeysuckleby Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Garlic mustard by Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org

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Garlic mustard by Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org

Honeysuckleby Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org


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Impacts to Other Habitats:The Domio Effect

Scoop up a small amount o soil and look closely at it. Soil is a habitat or

many living things. Now look around at other habitats surrounding you.

Count as many spiders, insects and birds as you can in this wooded area.

As ash trees die, impacts occur to our native plant and animal habitats,

sometimes creating a domino eect. In act, large amounts o dead anddying ash trees can change the mineral concentration, acid and moisture

levels o the soil. Since the chemistry o the soil plays an important role in

decomposition and water cycling, ash mortality can aect the nutrient

resource availability or remaining trees.

DID yOu knOWScientists have observed a reduction in ground beetle populations wherethe EAB has been.

At least 282 insects and spiders rely on North American ash trees as a

source o ood and shelter.

Many other species including butterfies, beetles, moths, fies, and true

bugs are aected.

(Information from The Ohio State University Extension and OARDC pamphlet W. Klooster and K. Rice)

IO Moth

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IO Moth


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Go native:use Local Trees ad Shrbs

Restoring areas where large ash trees once lived, as well as areas in which

non-native plants have invaded, will be a long process. However,

restoration has already begun at Pearson, Secor and Oak Openings

Metroparks. Thousands o native trees, such as swamp white oak, red oak,

pin oak, sycamore and a Dutch elm disease-resistant orm o the American

elm have already been planted in dierent locations. At Pearson,

approximately 1,000 silky dogwood shrubs have been planted in the areas

where buckthorn (a non-native, invasive shrub) has been removed.

Planting native trees and shrubs makes a positive contribution to our local

ecosystems. Listed below are some reasons why you should consider

adding native trees and shrubs to your yard:Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions,

making them low maintenance. They require no ertilizing, little watering

and minimal, i any, pesticides.

They provide a nutritious ood source and better habitat or wildlie.

They absorb larger amounts o rain water and can better control erosion.

They contribute to the biodiversity that thrives in Northwest Ohio.

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Go native:Some Local Trees ad Shrbs

These northwest Ohio native shrubs, which preer moist soils and oer

great wildlie ood, are excellent choices in areas where ash trees once

lived:

Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum)

Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa)

Common Elderberry(Sambucus canadensis)

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

Some northwest Ohio native trees that are appropriate or replacing ash

trees are:

Swamp White Oak(Quercus bicolor)

Northern Pin Oak(Quercus palustris)Northern Red Oak(Quercus rubra)

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)

Shagbark Hickory(Carya ovata)

Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)

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Gray dogwood by Richard Webb, self-employed horticulurist, Bugwood.org

Pin oak by Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org

Common elderberry by Richard Webb, self-employed horticulurist, Bugwood.org

Gray dogwood by Richard Webb, self-employed horticulurist, Bugwood.org

Pin oak by Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org

Common elderberry by Richard Webb, self-employed horticulurist, Bugwood.org


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What Is AHazard Ash Tree?

A hazard ash tree is one located within 100 eet o roads, trails, buildings

or other places where people are likely to be, or where the tree may

damage a valuable asset when it alls. These trees have deects in their

roots, stems, branches and/or trunks that will eventually cause them to die

and all over.

When ash trees die they dry out very quickly and the wood becomes

brittle soon ater. Ater dying rom an emerald ash borer inestation, it

usually only takes 2-5 years or an ash tree to all.

Look beyond this sign and you will see many ash tree stumps located near

the ground. These trees represent a small percentage o all ash trees

that have been cut since 2003. At this park, hazard ash trees are beingremoved to keep Pearson Metropark a sae place.

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Photo by Daniel Herms, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org

Photo by Daniel Herms, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org


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What do baseball bats, urniture,

oors, bowls, railroad ties, chainsaw

art, frewood and mulch have in

common?

These items can all be made rom the

wood o ash trees inested and killed

by the emerald ash borer (EAB). Byutilizing this wood rom trees that

need to be removed as a result o EAB,

wood waste can be reduced and orest

resources can be conserved.

While traditional orestry practices

have always had a wood utilization

component, salvaging urban treescan also be an option to encourage

sustainability. An example o creative

opportunities inspired by the loss

o millions o ash tree include:

Rising From Ashes: Furniture rom

Lost Trees, presented by The Chicago

Furniture Designers Association;

Cincinnatis Urban Timber Project,

which makes classroom urnitureor schools rom community trees;

and businesses created or expanded

because o the millions o inested

ash trees which lead to potential

wood utilization opportunities.

Out Of The AshesWhat To Do With The Wood


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Pearson Metropark is just one o many areas to be aected by the emerald ash

borer in recent years. The wet, swampy woodland ecosystem at this park

provides avorable habitat or ash trees, on which this invasive species eeds.

To learn more about the emerald ash borer and its eects on the environment,take a ew minutes to visit the series o interesting, educational signs along

this trail.

Funding or this demonstration trail was made available through the eorts

o Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and the USDA Forest Service to support the

Western Lake Erie Basin Emerald Ash Borer Community and WoodlandsAssistance Program administered by the Ohio Department o Natural Resources

- Division o Forestry.

The Emerald Ash BorerDemonstration Trail At Pearson

Documents

Emerald Ash Borer Domonstration Trail