Spring Tree Workshop Held
The Mountrail County Ag Agency and Mountrail County Ag Agent Jim Hennessy joined forces with the Mountrail Soil Conservation District for a spring tree workshop on Thursday, May 1.
The day started at the Soil Conservation’s tree shed with equipment on display along with tree care and planting tips.
Beth Hill, Outreach and Education Manager with the ND Forest Service, and Joel Allen, Community Forestry Specialist with the Forest Service were on hand to share information as well.
Hill’s presentation focused on the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive wood boring beetle that came originally from Asia. EAB affects all types of ash trees that grow in North Dakota, but most specifically the green ash. That is the most abundant tree in communities, windbreaks and native wooded draws.
By the time you notice a tree affected by EAB, they have likely been there quite a while. The female lays eggs on the bark, the larvae start burrowing and feeding on the inside of the tree. They establish within the phloem, or inner bark, where the nutrients are that feed the tree.
They will overwinter in the tree, then in the spring they will emerge and begin eating leaves. They will lay eggs and the cycle will begin again.
The signs and symptoms of an EAB infestation include dieback in the crown of the tree, bark splitting, and likely the most easily spotted symptom comes from woodpecker damage as they try to get to the insect. They also leave d-shaped exit holes, but unless you know for sure what you are looking for it can be hard to spot.
Last fall, the first infection was found in Edgely. There were sticky traps put out to collect insects and that is how they found the first one.
The suspicion is that they are often transported to new areas with firewood. The forest service recommends that you buy your firewood where you will use it and avoid transportation to help contain the spread.
There are also options to treat ash trees with insecticide, but both Hill and Allen say that unless they are high quality, healthy ash trees, you would be better served to remove the trees, much as treatment was done with Dutch Elm disease.
Allen also talked about tree inventories, pointing out that the best approach is diversity in species. That can held reduce impact from diseases like Dutch Elm and EAB, which can easily spread. He did a tree inventory in Stanley in 2018 and felt it would be good to update that inventory. There are grant programs that are available for use on public trees, like boulevard and park trees. He said it would be good to set goals to replace trees over time to expand that diversity.
The day concluded with a walking tour of the Prairie Rose Golf Course. Participants were shown how to identify ash trees, how to identify issues with trees and the best course of action to care for trees.
If you think you might have an EAB tree, you can contact the ND Department of Agriculture.