HAM LAKE, Minn. – (April 2 2015) – An unwelcomed visitor has taken up residence in Ham Lake. Emerald ash borer – the small insect that destroys ash trees – has made its way to Ham Lake. This is the first discovery of the bug in Anoka County after its arrival in Minnesota in 2009. The infested tree was detected through a call to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s “Arrest the Pest” hotline. Based on the call, MDA staff was able to visit the site and determine an ash tree in question was infested with emerald ash borer to which North American trees have no natural defense.
“Its an insect that’s originally from Asia so our trees have no experience with it and have no natural defenses so we’ve been having a lot of trouble with this insect for over fifteen years now,” says Mark Abrahamson, an entomologist with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
The insects are able to move on their own by flying up to two miles but the main way it has spread is by people. “The immature stages, which live beneath the bark of the tree, can get moved in the wood from the tree. So if a tree is cut down, is being hauled away to be disposed of, or what can be worse, is if the tree is cut up into firewood, those immature stages can go along. And I say worse because firewood is something that gets moved long distances,” says Abrahamson.
Anoka County has now joined Hennepin, Ramsey and Dakota and metro area counties that are under quarantine for emerald ash borer. Which means that no ash trees, wood chips and firewood can be moved out of the county. The quarantine is part of the plan to slow the spread of the insect. “We know we can’t stop it but we are working really hard to slow it down because every year of extra time we buy is another year that cities, for instance, have an opportunity to prepare by diversifying their forests, planning ahead so that they’re prepared to manage it when it does show up, and I think that’s time well spent.”
Options for dealing with emerald ash borer range from removal of ash trees to insecticides to the release of other insects that are nature enemies of emerald ash borer. Ham Lake City Council member Al Parranto serves as the council liaison to the city’s Park and Tree Commission and he wants to do whatever they can to save the trees. “I’m more interested in the insecticides as an option. I don’t believe that cutting down the trees that aren’t affected is the right way to go. I would look at options to control this and to save our tree cover as opposed to eliminating anything that would be healthy,” says Parranto.
The city only learned of the infestation last week. It will be on the next agenda for the Park and Tree Commission and Parranto sees a plan of action being developed in the near future. “It might be a little soon to say exactly what we’re going to do but I know the city will be available to help people analyze and deal with the problem if they find the problem. We will also look heavily at education the way we have with oak wilt to provide people with the skills to assess the trees in their yard. The way we look at it is I own the trees in my yard and I’m going to do everything I can to take care of them and we’re going to work with the responsible citizenry of Ham Lake the sooner they want to save their trees as well, which seems to be the case.
Homeowners in Ham Lake and neighboring communities are asked to be on the look out for signs of emerald ash borer in their ash trees. “It’s nicer outside but there aren’t leaves on the trees yet so the symptoms are a little bit more visible than when leaves will come out and cover them up a bit. So watching for evidence of woodpeckers feeding on ash trees, and bark splitting open to reveal tunneling, are a couple of symptoms you can watch for on ash trees,” says Abrahamson.
For Ham Lake residents once a plan is in place Parranto thinks it will be a partnership between the city, county, state, and individual property owners. “I’m sure the property will come up with a plan that, similar to the changes in our oak wilt plan, doesn’t affect negatively people’s property rights and enforces responsible ownership of the trees for the people of the city. We’re going to use education and we’re going to use the resources of the city to help people identity the problem and do what we can to help them solve the problem. But I think ultimately it will come down to the individuals responsibility.
The next scheduled meeting of the Ham Lake Park and Tree Commission is April 15.
Related Links:
Emerald Ash Borer Detection
What is Emerald Ash Borer
Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine
Map of Infested Trees
