The future of ash trees

Tribal collaboration aims to protect ash trees in the northeast

Erica Hupp

Office of Communication

February 28, 2024

How can an insect that is smaller than a penny cause so much ecological, economic, and cultural devastation? The emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle native to Asia, is one of the most destructive invasive species in North America. These tiny pests killed tens of millions of ash trees in the northeast – and continue to this day.

Close up of an iridescent green insect on a piece of tree bark. — The emerald ash borer adult is a small, bright green beetle of the buprestid family. The typical size for an adult emerald ash borer is between 0.3 and 0.5 inches. Males and females are very similar in appearance. (Photo courtesy of Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik)

According to scientists, the adult beetle causes little damage aside from minor leaf feeding from late May through September. It is the larva that does the real damage by feeding on the inner bark of the ash trees disrupting water and nutrients from moving through the tree resulting in its death. Typically, trees die within three to five years of infestation and trees may be infested for a couple years before exhibiting any signs or symptoms.

Close up of a worm-like larva in a tunnel it chewed in a living tree. — After the egg hatches, the emerald ash borer larva burrow into the inner bark and cambial layer. The larva is noted for its serpentine (S-shaped) feeding galleries under the bark. (USDA Forest Service photo)

Ash trees are ecologically and economically important species in North America. They are important components of northern hardwood forests as well as riparian areas along rivers and lakes, and in wetlands. Ash trees provide food and habitat for wildlife and are widely planted in urban environments. They are used commercially to make a variety of products such as tool handles, baseball bats, flooring, cabinets, and furniture.

In addition, the black ash tree (used interchangeably with brown ash) is one of 16 species of ash in North America and significant to the Indigenous people in both America and Canada who use them for traditional arts, medicine, and ceremonies. For example, the black ash has been used for basket weaving for thousands of years. It is also an integral component in the origin stories to the Wabanaki Nations, who are made up of four tribes in present day Maine.

Serpentine gouges are exposed from beneath the bark of a dead ash tree in the forest. — Ash Trees attacked by emerald ash borer have distinct S-shaped or “serpentine” galleries (tunnels) beneath the bark. These tunnels are approximately 1/8 inch wide and are packed with frass (a fine mixture of sawdust and insect excrement). (USDA Forest Service photo)

The emerald ash borer has rapidly spread throughout North America since it was first detected in 2002, but was likely introduced the 1990’s. This sneaky beetle is suspected to have hitched a ride on infested ash wood used in shipping and got a free ride to the United States. The emerald ash borer has now infested at least 36 states, the District of Columbia, and five Canadian provinces and is known as the most destructive and costly invasive insect to ever invade North America.

Protecting Ash Trees across Maine

In Maine, a coalition of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, tribal members, state and federal foresters, conservation groups, and local communities have been working for the past twenty years to prepare for the onset of emerald ash borer in northeastern forests. The group, called the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik, is focused on identifying research-informed strategies to protect the future of ash trees.

Nine people assembled around an ash tree trunk for a group picture in the forest. — The Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik is an important conduit for bringing together public and private forest landowners with tribal communities to consider forest management decisions protecting ash trees and cultural practices. (Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik photo by Nancy Sferra)

“Collaborative groups, like the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik, are important when it comes to preventing, detecting, and responding to the emerald ash borer threat,” said Nate Siegert, Entomologist for USDA Forest Service State, Private and Tribal Forestry. “These types of collaborative groups have really strong connection with local communities, Tribal Nations, and conservation organizations.”

Siegert explained that members of collaborative groups bring different skills and interests to the management of emerald ash borers. “Some members of the group might be more interested in collecting ash seeds to preserve the genetics of ash trees, while others may have more interest in communication or research sides of things,” he added. “All of these efforts help the greater cause.”

Two images in one. A map showing New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia with the ancestral lands of indigenous Tribes there, including Abenaki, Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot. A photo of seven people, indigenous and non-indigenous, examining an ash tree in the forest. — A map of the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik area. Right: Maine tribal basket makers and ash tree harvesters examine this ash tree impacted by emerald ash borer during a trip hosted by tribal basket makers and ash harvesters in Michigan. (Map and photo courtesy of Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik)

With the understanding that emerald ash borers know no boundary lines, the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik chose a name that referred to where they are focusing their efforts. Wabanakik stretches from Newfoundland in the north, to mid-Maine in the south, and parts of Quebec in the west.

According to Siegert, this kind of cross-boundary collaboration also confronts the challenge at a scale that could make a real impact.

A Long History of Collaboration

John Daigle, a citizen member of Penobscot Nation and Professor of Recreation Management at the University of Maine, helps to lead efforts with the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik. He explained that this collaborative effort really started with the formation of the Maine Indian Basket Makers Alliance in the mid-1980s. This group’s main effort was to preserve the art of basket weaving, but it also became an organization where concerns, like the decline in health of black ash trees, were shared.

The Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik is made up of long-standing partners… — A student learns about emerald ash borer by examining a piece of damaged ash wood. (Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik photo by Ella McDonald)

To address this observed health decline by ash harvesters, a Brown Ash Task Force was created in the early 1990s where the University of Maine, USDA Forest Service, Maine Indian Basket Makers Alliance, and Tribal communities started to look at the health of the ash trees in the Northeast. “This was the start of a relationship that would later play a critical role when the emerald ash borer became known,” Professor Daigle added.

“Since the University of Maine, USDA Forest Service, Maine Indian Basket Makers Alliance, and Tribal communities had already built a trusting working relationship, it was easy to expand that effort into the collaboration you see today,” said Professor Daigle. “The cultural importance of the ash tree to our area and its ecological significance really motives people to want to take action.”

Nine youth, one with a seed collection basket on his back, stand in the forest watching an instructor as he speaks. — University of Maine Graduate Assistant Tyler Everett teaches tribal youth about ash tree conservation in one of the Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik programs. An important component working with tribal communities and emerald ash borer research is the involvement of youth and thinking about the future. (Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik photo by Ella McDonald)

The Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik is made up of long-standing partners from the four Wabanaki Tribal Nations in Maine, other tribal communities such as the Akwesasne in New York, Maine Indian Basket Makers Alliance, University of Maine School of Forest Resources, Maine Forest Service, USDA Forest Service, and USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service.

Most importantly a growing number of new collaborators have joined such as The Wild Seed Project in Maine, Maine Land Trust Network and land trusts in other states, Forest Guild, more universities outside of Maine, as well as private family forest landowners and large forest land management companies.

The Fight Goes On

The Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik has engaged with the local tribal communities through tribal-led research, community meetings, and ash seed collection efforts.

University of Maine Graduate Assistant Ella McDonald demonstrates "the Big Shot," a giant sling shot mounted on a pole that shoots a weighted rope across an ash tree, causing seeds from its branches to cascade down onto a tarp on the ground. (Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik photo by John Daigle)

“The tribal perspective is extremely important, especially to state and federal foresters as well as managers of conservation lands, so they know the most important areas of ash to treat,” Professor Daigle added.

They have also raised close to a million dollars over the past few years to support student-led research projects at the University of Maine. Some of the most notable projects include evaluating adaptive management strategies for black ash in wetland forests, understanding the involvement and intentions of landowners of Maine forests for protecting ash trees, developing an ash resource inventory field manual, and using remote sensing to identify black ash in Maine.

Currently, there is a research project examining how effective the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik’s outreach, partnerships, and communication efforts have been in generating a collective action for the care of ash trees in ways that benefit Wabanaki people and forest ecosystems. “Information sharing is one of the most important things we can do to fight against the emerald ash borer,” said Professor Daigle. “Everything we learn, we share with other to agencies, tribal Nations, and states, and vice versa.”

The Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik is also focused on seed collection to protect ash for the long-term. “Creating an ash seed bank will allow for the possible propagation and reintroduction of ash into forests that have been affected by this emerald ash borer,” explained Professor Daigle.

As this invasive beetle spreads, it is important to collect as much seed as possible in geographically diverse locations. Seeds collected will also be used for research to identify ash trees with possible genetic resistance to emerald ash borers.

As the fight against the emerald ash borer continues, both Siegert and Professor Daigle are hopeful that ash species can remain on the northeast landscape for generations to come, and the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik will be leading the charge to ensures that happens.

Visit Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik for more information. Learn more about invasive insects and diseases that are damaging our nation’s forests, including the emerald ash borer.

The Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik is one of many university, state, federal and Tribal partners that the USDA Forest Service State, Private, and Tribal Forestry program has provided financial and technical assistance to help address invasive species that threaten America’s forests and grasslands. For a list of 2023 invasive species funded projects, visit our page on funded projects contributing towards reducing invasive species.