Alien versus predator
In the last decades, invasive emerald ash borer beetles decimated native ash tree populations across North America. LEFT: An adult emerald ash borer. (Photo courtesy of F.W. Ravlin, Michigan State University) CENTER: An emerald ash borer larva in an ash log. (USDA Forest Service photo by Debbie Miller) RIGHT: Young emerald ash borer adults emerge from…
emerald ash borer, northern research station, ash trees
Fighting invasive emerald ash borers with woodpeckers and citizen scientists
Invasive non-native insects have been called the “wildfires of the East,” given the damage they cause to trees. One pest, the emerald ash borer, has killed hundreds of millions of rural and urban ash trees.
An arborist injects an ash tree with insecticide. (USDA Forest Service photo by Therese Poland.) To help arborists and city planners track and…
emerald ash borer, woodpeckers, citizen science, birds, invasive, invasive species
Science and Renewal Converge in Stillmeadow Community PeacePark & Forest
These urban woodlands were ecologically degraded, with dead ash trees that had succumbed to emerald ash borer and invasive vines that choked the native trees. After cleaning up the site and removing invasive species, Northern Research Station scientists worked with area residents and church members to plant native trees like oaks, sweet gum, and…
urban forestry, emerald ash borer, collaboration, community
After a blight, the trees that survived need your help
Collecting buds and branches from a lingering ash tree to study. Forest Service/ M. Mason
Humans adore trees. But humans also migrate and trade, habits that led to the accidental introduction of insects and diseases that harm trees and alter the landscape. Examples are easy to find and may be outside your front door: American elms that once dotted…
northern research station, state and private, emerald ash borer, reforestation, Nurseries, genetics research program, RNGR, treesnap, hardwood tree improvement regeneration center
Virginia Tech demonstrates new method to treat Ash firewood
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aphis, ash trees, emerald ash borer, firewood, forest health protection, invasive species, northeastern area, stop the beetle, treatment, virginia tech, west virginia, wood education and resource center
New international wood packaging standard stops bugs dead in their tracks
This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from the USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.
Wood makes great packaging material—it’s inexpensive, abundant and versatile—but there’s one drawback: destructive forest pests stowaway in the pallets, crates and dunnage (wood used to brace cargo) used in…