Emerald Ash Borer Trapping in the Metroplex

Emerald Ash Borer Trapping in the Metroplex

Mar 18, 2022 | News

By Allen Smith

It’s not a complicated device:  just some purple plastic, coated with glue and baited with a clear pouch containing a lure– but this emerald ash borer (EAB) trap is a scientifically-designed instrument and serves as our first line of defense against EAB infestation.  Since 2011, Texas A&M Forest Service entomologists have been placing these traps in ash trees across Texas looking for the emerald ash borer.  The trap is known as a purple prism trap and is designed to catch adult EAB after they emerge in the spring.  A specific shade of purple is used as it has been proven to be effective in attracting female buprestid beetles.  The female EAB equate the purple color with the appearance of an ash tree trunk where they lay eggs.  Male buprestids, including EAB, are more attracted to a green color which is something that these visual insects would except to see in a tree canopy. 

Traps are held in the open position by a pot metal spreader to which raising/lowering lines are affixed as well as the EAB lure. Emerald ash borers, being visual creatures, do not use pheromones to locate mates as extensively as other insects such as bark beetles for example.  EAB lures are clear pouches containing  z-3 Hexenol, an alcohol compound used to mimic the volatile smells given off by ash foliage.

Traps are coated with a very sticky glue that persists the length of the 120-day trapping season.  Swarming, aggregating, and mating EAB become entangled in the glue and cannot escape.  Traps are hung in ash trees throughout the target county and checked after 60 days to see if any EAB have been caught.  At this time, a new hexenol lure is attached and trapping resumes for another 60 days.  After 120 total days of trapping, the traps are checked again for EAB and then removed from the locations.  Traps in counties where EAB has been reported, are checked weekly.  All caught EAB are removed and labelled with date of collection and trap name.  Collected samples are then sexed to determine the emergence timing of males vs. females and the opening and closing of the adult flight period window. 

Since the confirmation of the emerald ash borer, Agrilus plannipennis, in Tarrant County (2018) and Denton County (2020), interest in EAB management in the Metroplex has increased.  The Texas A&M Forest Service has been on the lookout for this most destructive forest pest since 2011 when 300 EAB traps were deployed in areas of east Texas with notable ash populations.  This year, approximately 500 EAB traps will deployed across Texas to provide a measure of early detection.  Most of the traps will be scattered throughout east Texas with almost 40 traps covering the Conroe/Houston/Galveston area.  Traps are already deployed for 2022 along the I-35 corridor from San Antonio to the Metroplex.  Dallas, Denton, Tarrant and surrounding Metroplex counties will host approximately 100 EAB traps.  Traps will be located in parks, cemeteries, natural areas, and on rural private lands that contain a sizable ash tree population. 

If you have any questions about emerald ash borers, EAB trapping or EAB management, please contact your local Texas A&M Forest Service office.

Alert – EAB Detected in Denton

Alert – EAB Detected in Denton

May 19, 2020 | News

May 18, 2020 —Denton, Texas

Ash tree in Denton believed to be infested with emerald ash borer

On Thursday May 7, 2020 the City of Denton Urban Forester, Haywood Morgan, met with a homeowner in the Villages of Carmel neighborhood who had concerns that his ash trees might have EAB. After meeting with the homeowner, he was waiting to cross the street and noticed a bug land on a leaf of an ash tree. With the assistance of the homeowner he was able to capture the bug and place it in ziploc bag. Upon further investigation he had a strong notion that the bug was an adult EAB beetle. He informed the homeowner that the Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS) would be contacted to get a second opinion. Later that day he emailed pictures to Courtney Blevins, Urban Forester with the TSF. Courtney replied that he thought the diagnosis of EAB was right and requested a meeting to pick up the specimen the next day and send it to the TFS entomologist for a positive ID.

On Friday May 8, 2020 the Urban Forester received a call from Allen Smith Entomologist with the TFS who used the pictures to confirm the specimen is an EAB beetle. For it to be official the specimen would have to be sent to a lab in Michigan for positive identification. Allen stated once we receive positive identification, Denton County will be quarantined by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). This means that a protocol will be in place to reduce of the spread of the EAB. TDA will also have to inspect and approve our wood waste recycling equipment/program at the landfill to verify we are compliant with standards for processing EAB wood waste products for resale. Mr. Smith also stated that there would be a meeting with communities, agencies and businesses in Denton County that will be affected by the quarantine. Both Allen and Courtney have offered their assistance to help the City of Denton deal with this pest. 

EAB insect found in Denton, awaiting DNA testing for official confirmation

The State of Denton Urban Forest 2016 report calculated Denton’s urban forest to consist of about 4% (138,000) ash trees including public and private properties. Ash represent the eighth most populous tree in Denton, most of which are located on private property, natural areas and near riparian areas. As a part of Davey Resource Group’s work on the Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) a street tree (tree within the street right-of-way) count was performed on 10% of public streets. Using this data, it was extrapolated that Denton has approximately 20,850 street trees (between the curb and sidewalk). Utilizing data above it has been calculated the approximate number of ash street trees is 834.

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About 70% of City properties maintained by Parks and Recreation have been inventoried for ash trees. A total of 59 ash trees have been inventoried, with most locations having only two or less ash and the majority of those being less than 12 inches DBH. The highest concentration of ash trees are in Lake Forest Park and Sequoia Park.

With this discovery tree owners in Denton should begin to inspect their ash trees for possible EAB damage and prepare for action. Insecticide treatment is the only method of protecting ash trees from EAB and should be conducted by a professional arborist. There are no other known deterents to EAB infestation in ash.

For more information on EAB in Texas, please visit http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/eab/.

To report emerald ash borer, please call 1-866-322-4512.

North Texas Cities Prepare for EAB

North Texas Cities Prepare for EAB

Apr 13, 2020 | News

By Jeremy Priest

The recent North Central Texas UFC included a panel of municipalities and experts regarding the preparation for EAB. Although most of the metroplex will still not face EAB for a number of years, unless a large jump is made by the pest, there is a need to begin preparations when it comes to municipalities. North Texas is blessed with low ash populations from the start, but even a 2% population could add up when considering an entire city.

Emerald ash borer is an invasive pest which devastates ash trees.

The speakers presented the need for an inventory or good sample at a minimum, with Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, and Dallas among those undertaking efforts to understand their ash trees. Without this information there is almost no way to predict the impact and potential costs. The experts made it clear that prolonging the life of ash trees is a valuable undertaking, as opposed to simply removing all ash trees at once. For example, the City of Arlington recently completed a study of park trees and determined as many as 15,700 ash trees exist in Arlington parks. The total number of ash is considerable and it will not possible to treat all trees, but only about 500 or so are greater than 8 inches diameter. Also, the study stratified by natural and open areas which indicates that only 200-250 ash trees are located near park visitors, which would be the primary targets for removal or treatment over the next 15 years. Although removal costs are not as concerning with a small ash population, simply removing all ash trees at once is not in the best interest of the urban forest, citizens expectations, or the municipal budget. This is especially important now given expectations of budget decreases across the country for as much as the next three years. Removing a few trees early on can help spread the cost and reduce the feeding ability of the EAB population. Ideally only trees in poor or fair condition should be removed (as the City of Plano has begun doing) and planning should be done so that any trees that are removed are replaced within a year or so. Don’t neglect tree planting and remember to increase diversity, as many cities have found replanting difficult as EAB removals increase.

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Ash tree receiving trunk injection of emamectin benzoate for prevention of EAB. Preventative treatment is not yet necessary, but can be done out of an abundance of caution.

As EAB begins to take effect in a community some trees will need to be removed, especially as early removal increases safety. The instability of ash once EAB has been in it for a year increases the risk of failure during the removal process. Most experts and studies have suggested treating at least some of the ash trees to prevent safety hazards, allow continued benefit of these ash trees, prolong the life of surrounding untreated ash trees, and importantly enough, fit removal and replacement within budgetary constraints. Foresters can conduct treatment injections themselves to reduce cost, but the chemicals themselves are not inexpensive. Emamectin benzoate products are generally considered the best choice for tree health and environmental impacts but the chemical alone will generally cost $3-5/inch of trunk diameter, depending on the desired rate. Still, there is little reason that cities could not spare a few hundred dollars to protect at least a handful of their best ash trees, since treatment is far less expensive than removal. Heavy concentration of ash tree removals, even if only a dozen trees fall under city control, may impact contractors removing the trees and the ultimate destination of that debris. Infested wood needs to be ground down or heat treated to prevent spread, or otherwise properly disposed of. Since many tree owners will be needing ash trees removed at the same time, there could be a financial impact (e.g. contractor delays, high prices) for tree removals that homeowners feel more than others. The loss of a tree is one thing, but the impact of losing that tree canopy forever is much worse. We need to encourage homeowners to plant a replacement tree in every way possible, including setting that example on city properties through replanting. As foresters we should consider the whole urban forest for our community, even if the trees are not under our direct control. If municipalities properly manage EAB it will not only provide an example for citizens, it could help protect and prolong their ash trees.

Join Grand Tree University!

Join Grand Tree University!

May 28, 2019 | Events

GTU – Grand Tree University 3rd class is scheduled. Participants attend an 8-hour training class – June 8th (classroom) and at date to be determined, 4 hours of field work. After training, the volunteers are grouped together, given sections of the City to inventory and perform the work on their own schedule. Volunteers are provided phone numbers to call with questions along with pictures for help in identification. The hardest part is identification of the trees and training assists in the endeavor. The Forest Service has designated the locations and volunteers receive maps with the inventory sites marked and street addresses. Training and support supplied by the Texas Forest Service Regional Foresters.

The trees are GIS mapped with phone app developed by the Texas Forest Service. The information collected is in drop down menus and easy to use. The information gathered in the field is sent to Susan for verification and then to the Forest Service. The result will be a 4% inventory of the city trees that extrapolated to a complete compile a street tree inventory. Main purpose of the survey is to determine where Emerald Ash Borer might strike and where to plant replacement trees. This a pilot program developed by the Forest Service and the plan is to mimic the training across the state with local Keep Texas Beautiful chapters.

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Participants will receive – in addition to training from professionals – training manual, hardhat, safety vest and tape measure. If interested, contact Susan at shenson@gptx.org for more information on class details. Class size is limited.

Citizen Foresters can sharpen their skills and put their training to use inventorying street trees.

Ash Tree Injection Demo in Fort Worth

Ash Tree Injection Demo in Fort Worth

May 17, 2019 | Events

Regional champion Texas ash to be treated

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Grand Tree University Takes Off

Grand Tree University Takes Off

May 14, 2019 | News

By Susan Henson

The City of Grand Prairie and the Texas A&M Forest Service though the Keep Grand Prairie Beautiful chapter of Keep Texas Beautiful developed a pilot outreach program to produce a 4% street tree inventory utilizing volunteers. The program is called Grand Tree University (GTU) in this community. In the future each location or community will develop their own name or identity and inventory criteria. The results of this inventory will help in developing an Emerald Ash Borer management program and an overall street tree management strategy for street trees which includes median and rights of way trees.

The Street Tree Inventory Program manual developed by the Texas Forest Service as a curriculum utilized in communities throughout the state to instruct citizens in identification, quantification, measure and GIS location of street trees. Communities will apply the I-Tree application utilized on mobile devices developed by the Texas Forest Service across the state. After the second round of training the TX Forest Service Regional Foresters and City Arborist/Forester provided modifications to the curriculum to fit the individual needs of this particular community.

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The City of Grand Prairie developed a logo utilized on the Hard Hats, Safety Vests and Measuring Tapes given to each student of the Grand Tree University (GTU) training. Items provided for utilization in the process of accessing trees, addressing safety and for identification purposes while conducting inventory in neighborhoods.

A list of randomly selected street segments for inventory generated by the Texas Forest Service, utilized by the City of Grand Prairie IT department to creäte a map of the designated street segments for analysis by the trained GTU students in the field.

Training consisted of 8 hours classroom training and 8 hours field training. There were six individuals trained in the first session and inventory commenced immediately. All combined fifteen citizens trained in two sessions. There were four Texas Forest Service, Regional Foresters and the City Arborist involved in the extensive training sessions. Class room training was held at Kirby Creek Nature Center. Inventory information gathered and sent to the City Arborist/Forester for interpretation and utilization in developing strategies to address immediate risks and future planning. The information was provided to the Texas Forest Service for analysis and to the City GIS division of IT for addition to the street maps.  This invaluable information will be utilized to develop strategies for reforestation, maintenance, reduction of hazardous trees and EAB management. The program will be ready for dissemination to other interested communities in 2019.

Texas Forest Service Alert – EAB in Tarrant County

Texas Forest Service Alert – EAB in Tarrant County

Dec 12, 2018 | News

December 7, 2018 —FORT WORTH, Texas—Reports of the presence of the deadly emerald ash borer (EAB) in Tarrant County have been confirmed. EAB has infested and killed ash trees in the Eagle Mountain Lake area.

Texas A&M Forest Service began investigating within the high-risk area following the discovery of a single EAB specimen last year.  Prior to spring adult beetle emergence, the state agency collected larvae from area ash trees. Through positive DNA tests Texas A&M Forest Service confirmed the larvae to be EAB.

All species of ash are susceptible to the destructive EAB.  Infested trees die within two to five years after infestation.  Urban tree canopy inventories estimate that ash trees comprise approximately 5 percent of the Dallas/Fort Worth urban forest.

“There is no known stop to this epidemic,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Urban Forester Courtney Blevins. “But we can help communities minimize loss, diversify their tree species and contribute to the health and resiliency of their urban forests.”

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For more information on EAB in Texas, please visit http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/eab/.

EAB photos and resources can be viewed at http://ow.ly/LIJi30lbBxz

To report emerald ash borer, please call 1-866-322-4512.

Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald Ash Borer

Aug 17, 2017 | Events

Emerald Ash Borer: The Ash Nightmare

By Rachel Murray

Many US cities are preparing for an Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis (EAB) invasion. The EAB is native to northern Asia, but was discovered in Michigan and Ontario in 2002. The adult EAB has a bright outer metallic green color, with copper colored abdominal. It is roughly half an inch long, and only one eighth of inch wide. The EAB larva is milky white with bell shaped segments. Since it is discovery it has spread to over 25 states and most of eastern Canada. The invasion continues to move west. Already 70 million ash trees have been infected and there is a chance of losing a large percentage ash trees in North America. East Texas has already been affected by the EAB. There is a chance that EABs will travel to the DWF metroplex.

You can easily identify if your tree has been infected or not. When an EAB larva bores in to an ash tree, they create a winding S shape path, called galleries. These galleries become visible when the bark begins to split. If your tree is infected, callous tissue will start to form causing the bark to become weak. Another thing to look out for is D shape holes. After they become an adult, the EAB exits the tree and create the hole. You can recognize if your tree has been infected by checking for the S shaped galleries and D shape holes. A citizen can also observe if the tree has been infected by watching for  epicormic shoots.  Epicormic shoots are small shoots that grow from previously dormant branches. If you can identify these factors on your tree, it is likely it has been infected and needs to be treated.

There is multiple ways for you to prevent the invasion of EAB. Most time if an ash tree gets infected it will die in 2-3 years. At this time it would be helpful for you to remove your tree and replace it with another species.  As a citizen you can also spray/inject pesticides for your ash tree. You will have to do this annually, but most the time is will protect your trees from the EAB. To reduce the spread of EAB larvae, do not bring any firewood or ash wood into the area. Even after a tree is cut down the EAB larva can survive and continue to infect the area. Also when you do store firewood, be sure to always keep it away from existing trees, in case of any other pests.

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Being observant of signs and knowing the prevention’s can help us stay protected from the emerald Ash Borer.

Picture credits:

Arbor Day Foundation

Emeraldashborer.info