Emerald+Ash+Borer

//** Emerald Ash Borer **// ( Figure 1) Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Family: Burprestidae Tribe: Agrilini Species: A. planpennis ** Description: ** The Emerald Ash Borer is a beetle that is indigenous to Eastern Russia and and the Asia. Though widely spread throughout Asia, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a destructive invasive species in other parts of the world. The EAB was first introduced into the United States in Michigan in 2002. The species has since thrived in North America, taking refuge in Ash Trees from Georgia, all the way to southern Canada. The EAB has been sited in nearly every state along the east coast and is rapidly expanding it's reach. The movement of timber and firewood are the root causes of the rapid infestation of this species. It was hypothesized that ash wood used in cargo shipping from Asia was the vector by which the EAB was introduced to the United States over a decade ago. The EAB does damage to ash trees during the larval stages where it burrows into the outer bark/ say layers of the tree. The burrowing larvae cut through the phloem layers of the trees which disrupts nutrient flow and effectively kills the tree.([|1]) (Figure 2) ** Life Cycle: ** The EAB has a life cycle that is either one or two years in length. The length of the life cycle often depends on the condition of the tree that it initially infests. Worn out and decrepit trees are more susceptible to the EAB and usually favor the one year life cycle.([|2]) The eggs of the beetle are laid in the upper canopy of the Ash tree where the larvae hatch and begin to burrow into the phloem layers of the tree. In the phloem layers, the larvae feed and begin to prepare for the winter months where they continue to grow. After about 10 months, the pupal stage is reached and and after another month the fully grown beetle will emerge from the tree. The fully grown beetle doesn't harm the tree, subsisting on a diet of leaves rather than bark. The damage is felt during the larval stages where the juvenile beetles are continuously feeding on the vascular tissue of the tree. (Figure 3) ** Significance In The US: ** Since the introduction of the EAB into Michigan in the summer of 2002 the losses have been gargantuan. Most ash trees die within three to four years of being infested by the EAB larvae. Originally, it was stressed or weakened trees that were believed to be targeted by the EAB but more recent research has shown that all ash trees are susceptible to the invasive beetle. In 2004, the UDA estimated that fifteen million urban and forested ash trees had been killed by the EAB infestation epidemic. Other figures show that the value lost by not having the ash trees was nearly 1.7 billion dollars([|4]). Clearly this is an issue that the department of agriculture isn't taking lightly. The EAB has spread to over 20 states and that number has the threat of growing with each passing day. Lumber and firewood laws have been established that prevent the spread of non-heat treated wood across county as well as national borders. The distribution of the emerald ash borer is represented below: (Figure 4) **Significance in Vermont:** Currently, the EAB is not affecting any ash trees In Vermont. However, nearly every state surrounding Vermont, as well as Canada has been hit hard by the emerald ash borer. The threat is extremely imminent and oversight protocol has been put into place by both the United States Department of Agriculture as well as the Vermont Forest and Parks Service. In addition, public outreach has been a major component of the preventative efforts as well. Educating the public about the effects of moving firewood as well as other wood containing transmitters is a focus of the preventative efforts. The movement of firewood out of a county where the EAB exists is now illegal in most states. If Vermont wants to stay free from the EAB the current efforts in surveying and pest eradication need to be maintained.([|3]) ** Picture References: ** **fig 1**- Michigan State University. "Emerald Ash Borer." Emerald Ash Borer. USDA Forest Association, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. . **fig 2**- CTPA Activities and Events." Home CTPA Activities and Events. Connecticut Tree Protection Association, 21 Nov. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. .   **fig 3**- CTPA Activities and Events." Home CTPA Activities and Events. Connecticut Tree Protection Association, 21 Nov. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. . **fig 4- ** Michigan State University. "Emerald Ash Borer." Emerald Ash Borer. USDA Forest Association, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. . **Information References:**  1) Kovacs, Kent F., Robert G. Haight, Deborah G. McCullough, Rodrigo J. Mercader, Nathan W. Siegert, and Andrew M. Liebhold. "Cost of Potential Emerald Ash Borer Damage in U.S. Communities, 2009–2019." Ecological Economics 69.3 (2010): 569-78. Print.  2) CTPA Activities and Events." Home CTPA Activities and Events. Connecticut Tree Protection Association, 21 Nov. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. .  3) Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation. "Vermont Invasive Forest Pest Update." Www.vtfpr.org/. Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. . 4) Poland, Therese M., and Deborah G. McCullough. "Emerald Ash Borer: Invasion of the Urban Forest and the Threat to North America’s Ash Resource." Journal of Forestry (2006): n. pag. Ingentaconnect. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. .
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