Mercer County municipality is undertaking the challenge of battling the EAB issue in Princeton, NJ. Writer for Princeton Patch, Anthony Bellano, wrote up an article informing what an EAB beetle does to harm the tree and what the Mercer County Park Commission plans on doing to protect these Ash Trees.
Breakdown
WHO: Mercer County Park Commission
WHEN: 2014 - present
WHERE:
- Mercer County – Ewing, Bridgewater detected EAB in 2014.
- Additional Towns in Mercer County - Hamilton, Hopewell Borough, Princeton, and West Windsor - detected EAB in 2015
WHAT:
- EAB pupate in burrows made in wood
- Larvae consume layer of wood under bark, called Cambium Layer. They create tight “S” shaped tunnels when eating through the wood.
- Adult beetles eat the tree leaves
END RESULT = low to none, nutrient and water flow throughout the tree causing it to die.
GOALS:
- Protect Your Healthy Ash
- Slow Down the Spread of Beetle
- Remove Threatening Trees
HOW: Spring of 2016, purple ribbons would be placed on ash trees once they have been added to the ash tree inventory. Each ribbon contains an ID number for that specific tree and they’re monitored by the Park Commissioners.
FOLLOWING STEPS: Dependent on their current state, ash trees may be treated to prevent EAB infestation, cut down to prevent injury, or monitored for another year.
TIPS ON FINDING INFECTED ASH TREE:· Crown dieback - A condition in which a tree or shrub begins to die from the tip of its leaves or roots backward, owing to disease or an unfavorable environment.
THINGS TO CONSIDER:
- Don’t rely on finding the adult beetle’s exit holes because holes are extremely small.
- Homeowners should inspect their ash trees for new sprouts or branches around the base of the tree and tree trunk. These sprouts usually arise when the ash tree is stressed.
- Woodpeckers will drill small holes to extract the larvae. Most woodpecker damage removes all of the bark from a patch of the tree, creating a unique pattern of missing bark.
