Notice from the Colorado Department of Articulture
Anti-Beetle Tree Cutting
The emerald ash borer, a native insect to Asia has recently killed approximately 25 million ash trees in several states. The invasive beetle has recently been found in southern Prince George’s County, Md.
Agriculture officials in Maryland have started cutting down 25,000 ash trees
in an 11,500-acre swath of forested and developed land in southern Prince
George’s County in an attempt to eradicate the emerald ash borer. Illinois,
Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and now Maryland have taken steps to eradicate the
bug. It is important to be rid of it by spring, when the insects, which are
currently in larval form living in the bark of infested trees, will appear
as adults.
The insect was found last summer and fall, close to the Clinton-Brandywine
area. The cutting began there recently and will continue through the end of
March. The plan is to remove all of the ash trees within a 1.5-mile zone
around each infected tree. The state has also quarantined all ash wood and
hardwood firewood from leaving Prince George’s. Ash trees are often popular
for landscaping purposes; the removed trees will be chopped into one-inch
chips at the price of upwards of $4 million in federal funding according to
a Maryland Department of Agriculture spokesperson.
Spreading the word regarding the pest should help officials rid the area of
the beetles, if people are cooperative with the quarantine. If the beetle is
not removed the economic impact on the state’s $1.4 billion agriculture
industry could be considerable officials have said. Losses could reach $300
million in the Baltimore area alone.
Source: The Washington Post
Mark Remcheck
Extension Community Forester
Washington County Cooperative Extension Office
Courthouse Square, Room 601
Washington, PA 15301
724-228-6940 - phone
724-228-6883- Fax
mar15@psu.edu
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Pa Urban and Community Forestry information for municipalities and
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