Emerald Ash Borer. Woodlands and Wildlife Forest Festival October 2 nd Allison Winmill MScF Forest Health Specialist

Transcription

1 Emerald Ash Borer Woodlands and Wildlife Forest Festival October 2 nd 2015 Allison Winmill MScF Forest Health Specialist

2 Overview BioForest The threat of invasive/alien pests and disease Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) BioForest and EAB Current status in Ontario What can we do?

3 BioForest Technologies Inc. Established in 1996 from Canadian Forest Service downsizing Expertise: Commercial & Urban forest health management Tree care product development & distribution : TreeAzin Systemic Insecticide The EcoJect System Arbotect 20-S (only distributed in Canada) Rotstop C (currently only distributed in Canada) ShortStop (only distributed in the U.S.)

4 Who am I? Joined the BioForest team in 2014 MScF & HBScF Lakehead U Working towards RPF Local, National, International

5 Invasive/Alien Pests Current major pest = EAB Not the first time the forest has been threatened Chestnut Blight Dutch Elm Disease Gypsy Moth Urban and commercial Many more: aquatic and terrestrial

6 The Emerald Ash Borer Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources Forestry Archive Bugwood.org Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Anthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptra Family: Buprestidae Genus: Agrilus Species: Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire

7 EAB Adult beetle is dark metallic green Bullet shaped about 8.5 mm long by 1.6mm wide Flat head with black eyes Strong fliers Eggs laid in the bark of the trunk Larvae bore into sapwood Adults emerge and live in canopy Oneida county land and water conservation

8 Type of Insect Wood boring Flow of nutrients through vascular tissue to roots

9 Native to Asia: northern China, eastern Russia, Japan, and Korea Wide range of habitat as long as there are ash trees 34 th Parallel to 52 nd Top of Georgia to Saskatoon

10 First discovered in 2002 in Detroit and Windsor

11 Green Ash (F. pennsylvanica) White Ash (F. americana) Black Ash (F. nigra) Ash - Fraxinus

12 Ash Fraxinus spp. Wright outdoor solutions University of Guelph Compound Leaves Opposite Branching Seeds Not Manitoba Maple! OMAFRA

13 Sign: physical damage to tree resulting from EAB attack S-shaped larval gallery D-shaped beetle exit hole Feeding notch in the leaf Signs

14 Symptoms Symptom: trees response to being attached by EAB Dead branches Bark cracks Heavy seeding Canopy thinning Premature yellowing of foliage Woodpecker damage Epicormic shoots

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16 Signs and Symptoms 1-2 years after infestation little symptoms are present 3 years dieback and epicormic sprouts End of 4 th year normally tree dies 5 years limbs become brittle and drop

17 Why is EAB such a threat? Street tree monoculture of ash after Chestnut blight and DED Hardy tree = increasingly bigger problem the further north you go Native ash trees are defenceless Spray in urban environments? Symptoms take a few years to show

18 Why is EAB such a threat? Ash trees of all sizes are susceptible to attack, from 5 cm DBH (diameter at breast height) to 90 cm DBH or greater. Larvae have been found in branches as small as 1.1 cm in diameter. The numbers: Chestnut Blight = mortality count of ~3.5 billion chestnut trees DED = 200 million elms EAB threatens 7.5 billion ash trees in the United States Mortality rate so far: ~50 million

19 Why is EAB such a threat? Female lays 100 eggs in her 2 month life 56% of eggs on average are female Typically each year the population multiplies by a factor of 50 By year 9 of an infestation, the population originating from 1 female = 1 trillion insects

20 What are we doing about it? Number of strategies dependent on the infestation Get a tree inventory 1. Let them die/ do nothing 2. Insecticide 3. Prism traps with volatile lures 4. Tree removal based on age and health 5. Adjust planting plans 6. Biological control (wasp) 7. Hybrids research ongoing ~ Typically a combination of strategies

21 Prism traps Visual surveys Raising awareness Inventory! Early Detection

22 Systemic Insecticide - TreeAzin Bio-insecticide..trees helping trees! Provides up to 2 years protection against EAB In the year of treatment: 95% EAB larvae feeding on treated tree tissues do not complete development and die Adult female EAB beetles that feed on treated tree leaves lay significantly fewer eggs Eggs laid are not viable (<1% viable)

23 Two-Year Control Study Dr. Deb McCullough Michigan State University

24 In the year following treatment: EAB larvae hatched from viable eggs do not complete development Number and length of EAB galleries are significantly lower in treated vs. untreated ash

25 Emerald Ash Borer

26 TreeAzin Registered with Health Canada s Pest Management Regulatory Agency AND U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute for use in organic crops Ontario MOE listed as class 4 pesticide meaning it is the least hazardous that is commercial

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28 Toledo, Ohio June 2006 Toledo, Ohio June 2009

29 BioForest and the Town of Oakville EAB program Forest Health Monitoring Program

30 Prism traps Branch sampling EAB Ash tree condition surveys Mortality Plots

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33 Forest Health Monitoring Program Includes 3 complimentary initiatives: 1. Pest Detection Surveys 2. Forest Health Monitoring Plots 3. Volunteer Network

34 Pest Detection Surveys Objective: Early detection of insect and disease disturbances within woodlots Protocols: Assessed the health of the woodlots using a combination of trail and transect visual detection surveys Assessments: Presence of ash mortality Presence of abiotic and biotic disturbances Presence of invasive plants Woodlots assigned an overall health rating

35 Pest Detection Surveys

36 Results: Pest Detection Surveys Early detection and mapping of disturbances affecting the urban forest Implementation of proactive management strategies can facilitate economic decision making

37 Forest Health Monitoring Plots Objective: assess health and condition of a woodlot and individual trees over time; provide valuable baseline data on tree health and canopy cover Protocols: Plot establishment at the stand level; canopy photo captured at each plot centre Assessments: DBH, species, height, stem form and condition, crown condition, presence of invasive insects, canopy photos

38 Forest Health Monitoring Plots

39 Forest Health Monitoring Plots Results: critical information on the health of the urban canopy, both in the short and long term Enables cost effective management decisions

40 Forest Health Volunteer Network Objective: Creating community awareness and a program to volunteer in a meaningful way; early detection of invasive insects Protocols: Develop survey protocol, recruit and train volunteers, audit data collected, continued communication and education Assessments: stem and crown condition, and presence of invasive insects

41 More eyes on the ground! Results: A knowledgeable and active community that recognizes the economic and environmental contributions made by the urban forest that will support urban forest health initiatives

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43 The Spread EAB population is well established in Oakville..what about other places? Confirmed in Barrie, summer 2014 Examples of cities preparing for the infestation: Thunder Bay and Peterborough Muskoka is getting ready. First prism trap hung July 20 th in Bracebridge!

44 Muskoka Transportation of infested firewood What can we do? Early detection and rapid response Raise awareness (firewood!!) spread the word Know your trees Monitor for presence > green prism traps

45 Muskoka Muskoka Conservancy BioForest Technologies

46 Thank you!! Allison Winmill