Green bug

[rdust]

I hate that bug! I've seen bunches of them around here over the years.

When hunting a couple weeks ago I noticed the ash trees are about done on the state land I've hunted since I was a kid. The areas I hunt are somewhat wet/swampy, ash trees make up a huge part of the area's I hunt. In a few years they will be falling down changing the landscape entirely.

 

[DiscoInferno]

How about beech in your area?

Don't know about downstate, but the beech bark disease boundary is sweeping west through Munising now. Just to the east in Seney they are all dead and snapped off, and the remains covered in fungus. Ours are dying now. Worst part is many are large and quickly becoming too dangerous to cut. I've been milling a bunch in the summers, it's not a fancy wood but they say it will take 100 years to recover so better stock up while I can.

 

[Fifelaker]

The beech are doing ok for now I think. The place I got the ash from has quite a few beech on it as well. The big ones are hollow as normal but the smaller ones are looking good. I did cut one medium about 24"dbh that had the top blow out, that only had about 4"-5" of good wood left. That tree was center rotted about 15' then from there up was solid. I "think" that tree came down in the heavy snow we had in march 2012.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Don't know about downstate, but the beech bark disease boundary is sweeping west through Munising now. Just to the east in Seney they are all dead and snapped off, and the remains covered in fungus. Ours are dying now. Worst part is many are large and quickly becoming too dangerous to cut. I've been milling a bunch in the summers, it's not a fancy wood but they say it will take 100 years to recover so better stock up while I can.

I wonder what Blaney Park looks like. Shoot, those beech should have been cut off 40 years ago. Probably nothing left now.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

A jalapeño pepper maybe?......

 

[DiscoInferno]

I wonder what Blaney Park looks like. Shoot, those beech should have been cut off 40 years ago. Probably nothing left now.

I doubt there are many healthy beech trees anywhere near there. Most beech in public areas have been cut for safety. We camped at Pete's lake, all cut.

 

[etiger2007]

Believe it or not, we've been cutting white ash since 2002. Today while loading wood onto a neighbor's trailer, his wife happened to notice this bright green bug. This is the first time I've seen one except for in pictures. The emerald ash borer I believe. Very small so I took a close up of it too.

btw, this wood was cut during the winter of 2009-2010 so we now know for sure they can be in the wood that is cut and stacked. This is why most states have quarantined most areas to attempt to keep the spread down, or at least delay it a bit.
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I have seen them alive in my woods too Savage.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Savage,

Did you happen to find any fine brown powder near that butt? When I moved my ash stacks last week, I found alot of this fine brown powder. I have not heard of any reports of the emerald ash borer in my area (yet).

Bruce

Bruce, that find brown powder would be coming from the powder post beetles. Nothing to worry about there. I hope it is a long time before your ash trees get hit.