At Cold Stream Farm, we believe in keeping trees healthy and strong. Unfortunately, there are many threats to trees.
Have you heard of the emerald ash borer? Many describe it as a scourge. It is a green beetle native to Asia. It appeared in the United States sometime in the 1990s and is now present in 17 states. These beetles destroy ash trees and some analysts predict that the damage will be on par with Dutch Elm Disease.
So far, they have killed at least 50 million ash trees. Some worry that every ash tree in North America is in danger. The situation has become so dire that Massachusetts has recently imposed a quarantine on ash-wood. Other states are expected to follow.
In the article, “Making a hash of the ash,” the Economist reports, “Environmental workers, meanwhile, have set beetle traps across the state and “girdled” dozens of trees, removing strips of bark to attract and then capture the borers. But their efforts have proved ineffective.” Although these efforts have failed, other plans are being considered, including introducing natural predators. A kind of Chinese wasp, for instance, will specifically go after the emerald ash borer. Then again, introducing yet another insect to North America may affect the environment in different ways. Nevertheless, we must have a plan in place or we will lose every ash tree.
For more information on this worrisome situation, you can find the Economist article here.
*Image courtesy of Forestry Images
