# Banded Ash Borer wood, what to do?



## Ashful (Nov 11, 2016)

Brought home a trailer load of wood last weekend, and only realized while unloading that it is heavily infested with banded ash borer.

Since most of the trees in my lawn are targets for this species, I'm wondering what to do with it.  It's less than a cord, which is nothing to me (I have 30 cords of oak and ash on hand), so if throwing it all in the fire pit is the safest way to protect my trees from these buggers, I have no problem doing it.

Recommendations?


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## U.P.Boiler (Nov 11, 2016)

Burn and burn quick.  Then spray insecticide on it and everything ya used 

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## U.P.Boiler (Nov 11, 2016)

All my adh trees are now dead standing and working at cutting them out.  

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## bholler (Nov 11, 2016)

if you have healthy ash trees what were you thinking bring home ash?


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## Diabel (Nov 11, 2016)

The ash borer is history in this area. So are the ash trees.


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## Jags (Nov 11, 2016)

Get it gone.  Burn or remove from property by a long ways.


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## Diabel (Nov 11, 2016)

Jags said:


> Get it gone.  Burn or remove from property by a long ways.


Gone where? The borer can't be very active this late in the season. Burn it in the fire pit!


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## Jags (Nov 11, 2016)

One warm sunny day can get bugs moving again.  The way this weather has been a bit wacky I wouldn't take the chance.  Just one dudes opinion.


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## heavy hammer (Nov 11, 2016)

Let the fire pit roar!


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## Diabel (Nov 11, 2016)

To the pit! Me says!


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## STIHLY DAN (Nov 11, 2016)

Its probably already to late.


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## iamlucky13 (Nov 11, 2016)

Don't ash borers spend all summer and fall in the same log still as larva, then hibernate over the winter? I've never had to deal with them, so I'm just reading out of curiosity.

I hate the thought of bon-firing wood if you don't have to, but better safe than sorry, I guess.


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## Ashful (Nov 11, 2016)

It has been relatively warm this week, several days in the 60's, with nights ranging from 30's to 50's.  But, I hope they're still hibernating in the logs.  I brought them home last weekend, and it's been dark any time I'm home this week, so dealing with it during the week just wasn't an option.

I could take them back and dump them at the friend's house I got them from, but that would really make him not happy.  I could burn in the pit, if it's assumed that will get rid of them, but it's green un-split wood, so it may not burn very hot or quick.


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## Ashful (Nov 11, 2016)

bholler said:


> if you have healthy ash trees what were you thinking bring home ash?


I guess I wasn't really thinking.  All the wood I get comes from friends, mostly dead trees.  I have walnut, ash, maple, oak, birch, cherry, cedar and pine on my property.  If I were to avoid any species I have on my property (seems many have issues), I'd not have anything to burn.


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## U.P.Boiler (Nov 11, 2016)

Ash will burn even green.  Lite it up butter cup.  

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## Ashful (Nov 11, 2016)

U.P.Boiler said:


> Ash will burn even green.  Lite it up butter cup.


There'll be a big bonfire tomorrow, then!  I've never tried to burn this much wood in one shot, but I'll git'r done.

Here's a good read on the pest, I just found:  http://extension.usu.edu/files/factsheets/bandedas.pdf

The warm weather thing is bothering me a bit, since they could have been active this week.  The one bit of good news is that I am already treating my trees with Imidicloprid basal trunk spray once each April, for EAB.  That's not the recommended treatment for BAB, but it's something.

We do have a lot of ash dying around here, but I have not yet personally seen any EAB.


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## Wood Duck (Nov 11, 2016)

What is banded ash borer? Is it the same as Emerald Ash Borer?


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## Poindexter (Nov 11, 2016)

Caan you maybe get a few hundred pounds of coal or some dry cordwood under the pile of infected?  


All tou ry have to do is get it hot enough long enoufh to kill the bugs.  140dF for 40 minutes will kill bacterial spores, all that will be left is non viable organic debris.


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## Jay106n (Nov 11, 2016)

FIRE PIT! But it may already be too late


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## Aranyic (Nov 12, 2016)

Wood Duck said:


> What is banded ash borer? Is it the same as Emerald Ash Borer?


My understanding is that banded ash borers generally follow eab. They generally don't attack and kill healthy trees but settle into already diseased and dying ones. 

Please correct me if I'm wrong though.


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## Ashful (Nov 12, 2016)

Aranyic said:


> My understanding is that banded ash borers generally follow eab. They generally don't attack and kill healthy trees but settle into already diseased and dying ones.
> 
> Please correct me if I'm wrong though.



This is correct. BAB will only set up nest in already-compromised trees, but unlike most other borers, they go into the heartwood, so they're harder to treat with systemic insecticides, which translocate thru the sapwood.

I got rid of that load this morning.


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## Ashful (Nov 12, 2016)

I spoke with a local arborist, and his feeling is that I'm fighting a losing battle.  He was surprised I wanted to get rid of a cord of ash, just because it was infested with this borer.  He said he's seeing so many invasive borers recently, that I'm not going to have any wood to burn in a few years, if I'm not willing to take borer infested wood.  I fear he may be right, but I do feel better, having gotten rid of this load.


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## venator260 (Nov 13, 2016)

I'm surprised that you have any healthy ash trees left. Every single ash tree on my family's 82 acres is either dead or showing the telltale peeling bark. There are a few little saplings around. I'm wondering if the eab will have moved on or if these will be attacked as well.


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## Ashful (Nov 13, 2016)

I wouldn't say mine are all healthy.  There are a few in serious decline, but others seem totally fine.  I started treating this spring with imidicloprid, which was a year later than I should have started, due to some downright bad advice I received from a local arborist.  I hope I'll save the those that are still in good condition, but we shall see.


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## bholler (Nov 13, 2016)

venator260 said:


> I'm surprised that you have any healthy ash trees left. Every single ash tree on my family's 82 acres is either dead or showing the telltale peeling bark. There are a few little saplings around. I'm wondering if the eab will have moved on or if these will be attacked as well.


Me to I havnt seen a healthy mature ash tree in a couple years in this area.


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## Easy Livin’ 3000 (Nov 14, 2016)

Ashful said:


> I spoke with a local arborist, and his feeling is that I'm fighting a losing battle.  He was surprised I wanted to get rid of a cord of ash, just because it was infested with this borer.  He said he's seeing so many invasive borers recently, that I'm not going to have any wood to burn in a few years, if I'm not willing to take borer infested wood.  I fear he may be right, but I do feel better, having gotten rid of this load.


Unfortunately, I'm with the tree expert on this one. Whether you brought it or it arrives on its own, it'll be there before long. This is but one of the many side effects of 6 billion humans on our small planet, all simultaneously trying to increase their standard of living.  All my ash and hemlocks are toast as a result of invasives.

On the plus side, sounds like you are going to have to your own source of wood closer to home soon.


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## bholler (Nov 14, 2016)

ED 3000 said:


> All my ash and hemlocks are toast as a result of invasives.


Yeah just about all of the ash in this area is dead.  But the hemlocks have been doing fairly well lately which is a good thing.  But we have an area of virgin forest that used to have an amazing canopy of hemlock when I was growing up it is now very sad to go there and see it.  Some of the trees survived but the canopy is gone.


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## Ashful (Nov 14, 2016)

What's happening to Hemlock?  I just planted a dozen eastern Hemlock as a privacy screen at the back of my lot.


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## venator260 (Nov 14, 2016)

Ashful said:


> What's happening to Hemlock?  I just planted a dozen eastern Hemlock as a privacy screen at the back of my lot.



Woolly Adelgid 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemlock_woolly_adelgid


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