A Tree Story

Part One: Figure 1 (Inspired by the upsidedownies). A little more from this post, now with Figure 1 labeling!











Part Two: On the White Trail

This section of the trail used to be fairly dark even on a sunny day, thanks to all the trees. These have all come down in the last couple years.





Part 3: The Emerald Ash Borer

The emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, is a green beetle native to Asia.

Since its accidental introduction into the United States and Canada in the 1990s, and its subsequent detection in 2002, it has spread to 14 states and adjacent parts of Canada. It has killed at least 50 to 100 million ash trees so far and threatens to kill most of the 7.5 billion ash trees throughout North America.

The insect threatens the entire North American Fraxinus genus, unlike past invasive tree pests, which have only threatened a single species within a genus. The green ash and the black ash trees are preferred. White ash is also killed rapidly, but usually only after green and black ash trees are eliminated. Blue ash displays some resistance to the emerald ash borer by forming callous tissue around EAB galleries; however, they are usually killed eventually as well.

Some of the trees around the house are oak trees. But it looks like we're going to have get some more ashes cut down, before they fall down.
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