Emerald Ash Borer devastating our neighborhood trees - what to do with wood

[Pellet_Pete]

Although it is a tragedy, this is not the first time that North America has lost its Ash trees to borers.

Huh? I've never heard this before? Hemlock, yes, but not ash. Is there something in the pollen record?

 

[SidecarFlip]

Is there not an insecticide that can be applied to the non-infested trees to prevent the spread to still healthy trees. I'm not really knowledgeable of the issue although I am aware of it but the thought above just struck me.

Yes there is and Bayer Chemical / Pharmacutical makes it. We have possibly the 2 surviving mature ash trees in the county here in Michigan but the treatment isn't cheap and must be applied yearly in the spring. It's around 30 bucks (American) per tree per year. Good news is you can do it yourself as it's not an injection but rather a root uptake.

MSU's ag department is involved in a study looking at immature Ash trees that have survived in infested and now dead stands for the key as to why they lived.

 

[Ribcracker]

Although it is a tragedy, this is not the first time that North America has lost its Ash trees to borers.

Please elaborate.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Please elaborate.

I'm curious about that statement as well....

 

[drz1050]

I think he just meant ash trees have been around for a very long time.. as have borers. It's part of the natural cycle.

And as the others said, the borers prefer mature growth.

The forests will rebound.

 

[PowersTree]

Here in Michigan, I am starting to see a lot of Ash trees coming back. I am in Oakland county where the borer was first discovered.

 

[aansorge]

I've noticed the borer seems to prefer mature ashes and leave the saplings alone.
It broke my heart to see the ashes fail but I guess that's natural selection at work. Once the ashes are all dead, I suppose the borer will die, too. And then maybe the ashes can make a comeback. More likely though, some other tree species will succeed in their place. So it goes.

Minnesota still has Dutch Elm disease and yet the elms keep coming up. A good chunk of trees in my uncle's woods are elms although we seem to be getting more Box elder and Hackberry (another type of elm which is more resistant).

 

[bens_igloo]

so I did end up bringing home a number of loads in my SUV. This should give me a nice head start on wood for next year. A bit of elm in there too.

 

[Diabel]

There is not one standing ash tree in the Ottawa area!
Sad.

 

[rdust]

You can't stop the spread so don't worry about it. Get all the wood you can and enjoy burning the best all around firewood while it's available. ie hoard all you can!

 

[bens_igloo]

There is not one standing ash tree in the Ottawa area!
Sad.

I hadn't realized it was also a problem in Ottawa. That's too bad. Is anything being done on the city's land to reforest? Here the city is planting new trees - mostly maple and locust I belive.

 

[Diabel]

I hadn't realized it was also a problem in Ottawa. That's too bad. Is anything being done on the city's land to reforest? Here the city is planting new trees - mostly maple and locust I belive.

I have seen some maple being replanted.
The city still has lots and lots other species. Still, sad to see the trees being cut down in masses.

 

[davidmsem]

I am in Connecticut and taking down an Ash next week that has been affected by EAB.

In order to burn this next season, what is the best approach?

I plan on splitting the wood this month, stacking it uncovered in single rows where sun and wind can get to it, then in August or September moving it into my woodshed.

It's there a better approach?

 

[Bret Chase]

Minnesota still has Dutch Elm disease and yet the elms keep coming up. A good chunk of trees in my uncle's woods are elms although we seem to be getting more Box elder and Hackberry (another type of elm which is more resistant).

We here in Maine were hit hard by dutch elm... almost all of them were dead and gone by the early 90's. That being said, elm does seem to be making a comeback, my dad and I cut a ton of young healthy elm last spring and summer re-clearing a right of way. some were even 10-12". It's good to see them coming back.

As far as the EAB... it's not here yet, but it's 60 miles away in Merrimack county, NH. The State of Maine has banned out of state firewood and will stop incoming firewood deliveries to try and keep it out of the state. I've already cut down almost all of the ash on my property, not because of the incoming EAB, but because the trees were in "unfortunate" locations... like a 12 incher that was 6' from my house... or the cluster of 3 that were shading my apple trees.

great firewood, dries fast.... happy to have it in my woodpiles.

 

[Bret Chase]

I am in Connecticut and taking down an Ash next week that has been affected by EAB.

In order to burn this next season, what is the best approach?

I plan on splitting the wood this month, stacking it uncovered in single rows where sun and wind can get to it, then in August or September moving it into my woodshed.

It's there a better approach?

that'll work, though *I* don't bring in my wood until after halloween... lots of wind and dry air in the fall here.

 

[firefighterjake]

We here in Maine were hit hard by dutch elm... almost all of them were dead and gone by the early 90's. That being said, elm does seem to be making a comeback, my dad and I cut a ton of young healthy elm last spring and summer re-clearing a right of way. some were even 10-12". It's good to see them coming back.

As far as the EAB... it's not here yet, but it's 60 miles away in Merrimack county, NH. The State of Maine has banned out of state firewood and will stop incoming firewood deliveries to try and keep it out of the state. I've already cut down almost all of the ash on my property, not because of the incoming EAB, but because the trees were in "unfortunate" locations... like a 12 incher that was 6' from my house... or the cluster of 3 that were shading my apple trees.

great firewood, dries fast.... happy to have it in my woodpiles.

Around my place I get plenty of American elm . . . some can get fairly sizable (8-10 inches in diameter -- even had one that was close to a foot and a half in diameter) . . . but most succumb to DED at a relatively young age . . . seems like they're hanging on, but just barely.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

I was just reading an article where they think EAB has jumped tree species as they found and confirmed some in a white fringe tree.