EMERALD ASH BORER - UPDATE, January 5, 2023
News of the recent temporary quarantine for neighboring Washington County may have you wondering about our own susceptibility to the Emerald Ash Borer in Columbia County.
According to Oregon Department of Agriculture, the temporary quarantine in Washington County prohibits tree materials from all parts of ash, olive, and the white fringe trees, from movement outside of Washington County. The purpose of the quarantine is to slow the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer into unaffected locations.
What does this mean for Columbia County?
It is time to learn more about the Emerald Ash Borer and how to identify ash, white fringe, and olive trees in Columbia County. With few exceptions, no one has ever seen, or is able to recognize the Emerald Ash Borer. But it means more than recognizing an insect actively flying for a couple of months per year (and mostly in the canopy above our heads). There are hints left on the bark and in the reactions of the tree that we can learn to read and identify where the beetles might be developing. Our hope is that we can stop the Emerald Ash Borer! Many other techniques are being explored, though it will take a huge, collective effort to slow its spread.
Scappoose Bay Watershed Council invited Oregon State University forester, Alex Gorman, to make a presentation about the Emerald Ash Borer this past December. SBWC recorded the presentation which is available on their Youtube channel. This is an excellent presentation and a good place to begin your self-education.
In addition, Oregon State University has provided a collection of documents to help identify the Emerald Ash Borer, ash trees and their look-alikes, suggestions for care of your own olive family trees, where to report suspected EAB activity, and answers to specific questions that have been asked.
Oregon State University EAB website
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/collection/emerald-ash-borer-resources
Oregon State University Gallery for Recognizing Ash Trees