Take Time Out for Trees this Arbor Week

AUGUSTA—This week, Maine celebrates Arbor Week. Trees and forests contribute in many ways to communities throughout Maine. During Arbor Week, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry encourages residents to take time out for trees. In particular, take some time to look at ash trees for signs of the destructive emerald ash borer.

The emerald ash borer has not yet been found in Maine. However, the department’s experts continue to look for it and prepare for its eventual arrival in Maine. Given the need to be watchful, emerald ash borer detection activities have begun in locations previously reviewed and new locations. The most recent detection of emerald ash borer, in Edmundston, New Brunswick—directly across the St. John River from Madawaska—is in a place that is closer to Maine than any previous detections have identified. 

Canadian government officials and cooperators are currently working to understand the extent of the infestation in Edmundston. The Maine DACF is assembling a multiagency team to survey for emerald ash borer on the Maine side of the border.

However, individual Mainers and visitors play a critical role in locating infestations of this and other destructive forest insects.

“Our department uses windshield surveys, traps, girdled ash trees and biosurveillance with a native wasp to look for emerald ash borer,” Maine State Horticulturalist Gary Fish explained. “Even with all these monitoring programs, we still rely on a concerned, aware public to cover the ground our monitoring efforts cannot reach.”

Take some time this Arbor Week to learn more about the emerald ash borer and commit to looking for signs of infestation. The brilliant green adult beetles won’t be out and about in Maine this time of year, but there are clues that can be recognized. Visit www.maine.gov/eab to learn more and to report suspected attacks. 

“Emerald ash borer is a grave threat to ash trees across the continent and in Maine,” Fish said. “Our ash trees appear to have little native resistance, and the borer kills trees very quickly. This is why we need to know if the borer is here.”

Fish explained that if found early, unintentional spread of emerald ash borer by people can be tamped down, and natural spread of the insect can be manipulated. “We can’t stop emerald ash borer in its tracks, but if we know where it is, we can slow it down,” Fish said. “We’re buying time so research efforts to manage this pest can bear fruit.”

The emerald ash borer is native to Asia and probably hitched a ride to North America on crates, pallets or other solid-wood packing material. Its rapid spread since has been attributed to movement of infested firewood. An emerald ash borer can move only about a half a mile a year on its own, but can move hundreds of miles in a single day within a piece of infested firewood.

Emerald ash borer is not the only threat to our forests that can move in the seemingly benign firewood brought to camp. Numerous other insects and diseases can also hitchhike in firewood. Spread the word: use local firewood. If you have friends or family planning to visit Maine, make sure they are aware of the state and federal rules that ban movement of untreated firewood (www.maine.gov/firewood). Sources of treated or local firewood can be found online at firewood scout  http://firewoodscout.org/s/ME/.

For More Information Contact:

• Gary Fish at (207) 287-7545, gary.fish@maine.gov  or
• Allison Kanoti at (207) 827-1813 allison.m.kanoti@maine.gov