Bugs are coming East

Preemptive cutting of 45000 ash trees seems archaic when they could be protected with a treeage injection for a fraction of the cost. I am not a fan of pruning ash trees (especially in winter) but would hate to see them extinct or rare as a chestnut. The DC area has approximate 2%of ash canopy and losses would be minimal however 30 miles north, the Baltimore area is mapped to have approximate 20% of its canopy coverage from ash trees alone. A loss of that magnitude would be devastating to the landscape as well as impact air quality.
 
Eab is a deviation too the ash species we found the blue ash too hold out longer but the ash trees we found in sand ground where still safe up too 4 yrs at the most after that hazards because at the base where rotting out an 6 inch limbs would brake off during roping the clean up took longer than take down I don't miss doing eab lol it's the asian long horn that's gonna take all the trees few spots have been cleard in Toronto area clear cut city block size
 
KelllyG, our experience with injections (TreeAzin) in southern Ontario is that is has slightly flattened out mortality curve, but is not a cure. Generally by the time you have a visual confirmation that EAB is present, it has been in the area for a number of years. At that point injection will slow down the growth of individuals in the tree, but not eliminate it completely. Injections (or other pesticide applications) are not a magic wand on this one.

EAB is unlike anything we have seen before, the biomechanics of the decline make the trees more dangerous more quickly. We are seeing tree after tree with no signs visible from the ground failing, in some cases dramatically; and when the crews are doing removals trees that seem "fine" are brittle and doing unexpected things. With the exception of a few "heritage" trees that we will save as long as possible (continue to inject), we will be removing all ash in our municipality.

I know the provincial seed bank in Angus (Ontario) has been for a while actively building a cache of seed stock covering a range of seed zones, species, and genetics; hopefully if/when we hit balance with this one, there will be a bank to draw from.
 
The good news in all this is some people got really rich importing stuff cheap and skirting regulations. Do you think they would have acted differently if there were no regulations? Would they have been making sure the packing crates that harbored these bugs were clean? Where are they now that the taxpayers are having to foot the bill for the battle against these invasive species?

Yeah, it's a tangent but, I've got the time to think laterally. Unfortunately, this isn't the case for those who put profits and their own wealth above all others.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom