As campers plan their trips this summer, it's important to leave the firewood at home and purchase locally collected firewood at the campsite.
Highly destructive, exotic insects, such as emerald ash borer, or EAB, are frequently spread through the transport of infested firewood. Once introduced to new areas, these pests quickly become established and threaten local tree resources. By purchasing locally harvested firewood and burning all wood on site, campers can help minimize this risk.
"We want to keep this pest (EAB) out of the plains states as long as possible," said Steve Rasmussen, Nebraska Forest Service district forester and Great Plains Initiative coordinator. "By spreading the message about not transporting firewood and encouraging each person to do their part, we have the best chance of reducing the threat of a pest like emerald ash borer to our tree resources."
Rasmussen said buying firewood at a campsite is one of the best ways to avoid transporting unwanted pests to new areas.
EAB is a non-native, or invasive, insect that attacks and kills all native ash species, including white, green, black and autumn purple. The beetle disrupts the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients.
In Nebraska, there are an estimated 2.2 million ash trees planted in towns and cities, as well as an estimated 30 million ash trees in forests and conservation plantings. These trees will be at risk when the beetle arrives here, Rasmussen said.
Symptoms of EAB include winding tunnels just under the bark, one-eighth inch, D-shaped exit holes on the trunk, as well as canopy loss, usually from the top down. Ash trees infested with EAB also may have sprouts growing from the roots or trunk of the tree. Other symptoms include vertical splitting in the bark on the trunk and increased woodpecker activity.
The insect itself is bright, metallic green with a flat back. Adults are typically one-half inch long.
First detected in southeast Michigan in 2002, EAB currently is present in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Ontario, Canada where it has killed approximately 50 million ash trees.
Currently, EAB has not been detected west of Illinois.
In states where EAB has been detected, the movement of firewood is regulated by state departments of agriculture and federal agencies. Currently firewood quarantines exist in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Maryland. While there are currently no mandates in Nebraska, people are being asked not to transport firewood.
Since October 2007, state forestry agencies in Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota have been working together to prepare for the arrival of invasive species, such as EAB, in the Great Plains by assessing the region's tree resources, determining and addressing the potential impacts of invasives to those resources, creating public awareness of invasives and promoting species diversity. The project, the Great Plains Tree and Forests Invasives Initiative, is funded in part by a $500,000 seed grant from the U.S. Forest Service.
For more information about identifying ash trees and EAB, visit http://www.nfs.unl.edu or http://www.emeraldashborer.info. For more information about the Great Plains Tree and Forest Invasives Initiative contact Rasmussen at srasmussen2@unl.edu.
Those who suspect EAB in their trees, should contact the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at (402) 471-2394 or the National EAB Hotline at (866) 322-4512.
