ODA release – Oregon has a plan to protect trees and limit harm to the state from an invasive tree-killing insect—the emerald ash borer, or EAB. The EAB’s primary food is ash trees and when an EAB eats, ash trees die. Since 2002, this exotic insect has killed over 100 million trees throughout the U.S. Although the emerald ash borer has not been found in Oregon, it’s arrival seems imminent. The Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Cities of Portland and Corvallis, Oregon State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture led a huge effort among 45 entities and developed a readiness and response plan that includes: • A statewide risk assessment, • Methods of early detection, and • Quarantine and communication plans if the insect does arrive. The plan is now available to the public and local governments at www.OregonEAB.info. “Wild ash forests and urban ash trees face a threat that has cost other states billions of dollars. So, having this group work to protect Oregon from the same fate is great,” said Wyatt Williams, the Oregon Department of Forestry’s invasive species specialist. Scientists believe EAB came to the U.S. through international shipping. Emerald ash borers first started killing ash trees in Michigan, but now EABs are in more than 30 states, despite efforts by regulators to contain them. Because EABs have killed so many ash trees, the Union for Conservation of Nature has declared five U.S. ash species as “critically endangered.” Emerald ash borers can cause significant damage to ecosystems, including along streamsides where many ash trees grow. Losing ash trees along streams can have cascading effects on stream temperatures and plants and animals that depend on ash for habitat. If EAB enters Oregon, communities would need to remove dead and dying urban ash trees and may lose property value, which would cost governments and individuals millions of dollars. “Similar to wildfires, floods and other catastrophic threats, it is best to detect EAB quickly and deal with it swiftly,” said Williams. Since 2006, the Oregon Departments of Forestry and Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have surveyed Oregon for EAB and found none. Federal laws may change later this year that would allow commodities associated with carrying EABs to move more freely into the state. Oregon is one of the few western states that has a statewide EAB plan to prepare its communities and citizens. The Oregon Invasive Species Council facilitated the plan’s development. More information on identifying EAB can be found on Oregon State University’s Forest Pest Detector Program website: http://pestdetector.forestry.oregonstate.edu/. To report a suspected invasive species, visit https://oregoninvasiveshotline.org/ or call 1-866-INVADER.
