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Emerald Ash Borer
Emerald ash borer (EAB) is a non-native insect pest that infests and kills all species of ash trees. With 24.7 million ash trees, approximately 9 percent of New Jersey forests are susceptible to emerald ash borer attacks. Although rarely the most abundant tree in a forest stand, ash is still found in 24 percent of all forest land. The greatest numbers of ash trees can be found in the northern part of the state. Ash is also commonly planted along streets, as landscape trees in yards, and in parks throughout the state.
The NJ Emerald Ash Borer Task Force has
agreed upon the following in response to EAB management questions in NJ:
· All ash
trees in NJ should be considered at high risk for EAB.
· It is
appropriate to begin treatment of high value ash trees throughout NJ now.
· For any
questions about treatment methods, we should refer to the "Insecticide
Options for Protecting Ash Trees from Emerald Ash Borer" bulletin on the
website (www.emeraldashborer.nj.gov).
· We should
recommend that people work with a Certified (Licensed) Tree Expert or Approved
Consulting Forester to help them determine whether or not their ash trees are
good candidates for a treatment program (vs. removal), and that they should
contract a Certified Pesticide Applicator to complete any chemical treatments.
· Any trees
determined to be of high safety risk should be removed immediately.
· Any
actively infested trees should be cut down and chipped as soon as possible and
then left on site (in the municipality).
· For all
other ash, it is best to complete removals in the fall and winter. The material
must be processed (chipped or de-barked) before emergence (by late April).
· For
municipalities, we should recommend triage of the ash resource to spread out
ash removals over several years.
Rich Buckley at the Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Lab has agreed to
examine samples for EAB at no charge as long as they are brought to the lab.
Anyone interested should be directed to the web link for the
Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Lab: (http://njaes.rutgers.edu/plantdiagnosticlab/contact.asp),
and should bring the beetle, larvae, or sample of symptomatic tissue (chunk of
bark with exit wound).
The NJ EAB Task Force is comprised of representatives from the NJ
Department of Agriculture, NJ State Forest Service, USDA APHIS, Rutgers
University, and the US Forest Service. The Task Force works to collaborate on
EAB management decisions and advice, and to consolidate and disburse
information and resources relevant to EAB in New Jersey.