05/15/2007

EAB Awareness Week, May 20-26, Highlights Citizens’ Role in Protecting Ohio’s Trees

Writer:

Mauricio Espinoza
espinoza.15@osu.edu
(330) 202-3550

Source:

Amy Stone, OSU Extension
stonea@postoffice.ag.ohio-state.edu
(419) 578-6783

Editor: A media kit with information about EAB Awareness Week, a list of EAB experts and story ideas related to this pest is available at http://ashalert.osu.edu/mainpage.asp?pageview=media or by contacting Mauricio Espinoza, (330) 202-3550, espinoza.15@osu.edu.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Eight states affected or threatened by emerald ash borer (EAB) have declared May 20-26 “EAB Awareness Week” in an effort to get the word out about this unprecedented pest, which has already destroyed millions of native ash trees in the Midwest and has the potential to completely erase these valuable hardwoods from North America.

In the Buckeye state — home to some 5 billion ashes, or 10 percent of all trees in the state — Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) are joining the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in raising awareness about EAB and providing citizens with the knowledge they need to prepare for and best manage this invasive pest.

Other states marking EAB Awareness Week are Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia and Wisconsin.

“Through EAB Awareness Week, we want to highlight the importance of becoming more aware of the threat of emerald ash borer to Ohio’s urban and forest trees, as well as the environmental and economic impact of this exotic pest,” said Amy Stone, coordinator of the Ohio State University EAB Outreach Team. “As the ‘outdoor’ season gets underway during the Memorial Day weekend, we want to remind Ohioans that they can play a key role in limiting the spread of this destructive insect by not moving firewood — and adopting a ‘buy local and burn local’ practice. It is also important that Ohioans keep an eye on their ash trees for signs of EAB infestations.”

Activities slated during EAB Awareness Week include a tree-tagging initiative in communities throughout Ohio, May 18-20. Volunteers will tag trees with signs and caution tape to draw attention to the EAB issue. Additionally, Ohio State experts will offer educational programs at various locations, including displays at the Toledo Zoo (Sunday, May 20) and presentations in Greene County (Wednesday, May 23) and in Wyandot County (Thursday, May 24).

A native of northeast Asia, EAB has been found in 26 of Ohio’s 88 counties, as well as in parts of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland and Ontario, Canada. A state quarantine in Ohio makes it illegal to move all hardwood firewood, ash trees and parts of ash trees out of Auglaize, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Defiance, Erie, Franklin, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Marion, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Sandusky, Seneca, Ottawa, Paulding, Warren, Williams, Wood and Wyandot counties. Ohio is also under a federal quarantine that prohibits the movement of ash tree materials and hardwood firewood out of the Buckeye state without federal certification.

USDA estimates that if EAB is not contained or eradicated, it has the potential to cost state and local governments $7 billion over the next 25 years to remove and replace dead and dying ash trees that pose a safety hazard in urban and suburban areas.

For more information about EAB Awareness Week or EAB in general, log on to http://ashalert.osu.edu or call (888) OHIO-EAB.

OSU Extension (http://extension.osu.edu) and OARDC (http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu) are the outreach and research arms, respectively, of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (http://cfaes.osu.edu).

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