Vermont taking measures to battle tree-munching beetles
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Emerald ash borer |
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By LOUIS PORTER VERMONT PRESS BUREAU - Published: July 28, 2009
MONTPELIER - Visitors from Canada and Massachusetts ordinarily boost the state's economy. But two species of insects - the emerald ash borer and Asian long-horned beetle - have state agriculture officials worried. That's because the two potential invaders could damage trees and the state's timber industry.
The emerald ash borer attacks ash trees, and its range now extends south of Montreal, said Jon Turmel, state entomologist.
The Asian long-horned beetle is moving north and is established as far as Worcester, Mass., he warned.
The state is worried enough about the Asian long-horned beetle that it is holding a series of workshops to train volunteers in Vermont to identify the insect, Turmel said.
"It loves maple. It bores into the heartwood, weakens the tree and eventually kills it," he said.
The state has 140 or so large, rectangular traps in trees, particularly along the Canadian border and in the islands of Lake Champlain for the emerald ash borer, Turmel said.
"There is no trap for Asian long-horned beetle, and that is why the concentration on educating the public and getting people out looking for us," he said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has provided grants to the northeastern states for the effort, including $75,000 for Vermont, Turmel said.
The examples of the gypsy moth and the Japanese beetle show that with quarantines and other programs the spread of such invasive insects can be slowed, if not stopped entirely, Turmel said.
"We can retard its spread. Eventually, it will get here," he said.
When the Asian long-horned beetle or the emerald ash borer arrives, it may be a real problem for wood products companies that rely on maple and ash, and potentially for maple syrup producers, Turmel said.
He recently talked to employees of Louisville Slugger baseball bat maker, which has a large amount of forest land in Pennsylvania and New York to grow the raw material for ash and maple bats. The company is worried about its ash trees, he said.
"They will have to find a different wood for bats," Turmel said.
One of the best things that residents can do to slow the spread of the insects is not to move firewood long distances, Turmel said.
The Green Mountain National Forest already has stringent rules against bringing firewood from more than 50 miles away, and state lands request that campers do not do so, he said.
New York State has an outright ban on trucking firewood that far.
"We may have to do it," as well, he said.
He also visits "big-box" stores that sell camping firewood, Turmel added.
"We are finding it from New Mexico, from Honduras. It is crazy where firewood comes from," he said.
So far, that wood has been permitted either because it is kiln-dried or otherwise protected from harboring invasive species.
"Most people understand the problem" and don't object to the protection measures, such as limits on who can bring firewood in from Canada, Turmel said.
The workshops on identifying the Asian long-horned beetle are scheduled for Wednesday, July 29 at the Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday Aug. 1 at the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury from 9 a.m. until noon; Wednesday Aug. 5 at the Brattleboro High School cafeteria from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.; and Saturday Sept. 19 at the Northwoods Stewardship Center in East Charleston from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Registration is required at some of the workshops through the state or through the hosting organizations.
Contact Louis Porter at louis.porter@timesargus.com.
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