OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ENCOURAGES OHIO CITIZENS TO CHECK THEIR TREES FOR SIGNS OF INVASIVE PESTS

State Taking Measures Against Walnut Twig Beetle and Asian Longhorned Beetle; Officials Confirm
Thousand Cankers Disease for First Time in Ohio

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio (August 12, 2013) ‐ In an effort to protect the trees of Ohio, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is encouraging Ohio citizens to check their trees for signs of the Walnut Twig Beetle and Asian Longhorned Beetle. Both of these tree pests have been detected in southwest Ohio and threaten the health and viability of the state’s hardwood forests, as well as some of the state’s leading industries. Signs and symptoms of both the Walnut Twig Beetle and Asian Longhorned Beetle are visible in August.

The Walnut Twig Beetle is a small beetle known to carry a fungus that causes Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD), which can kill walnut trees. TCD is caused when the Walnut Twig Beetles bore into the branches and trunk tissue of walnut trees, thereby introducing the fungus. Repeated attacks by the insect lead to multiple individual infections by the fungus and the tree eventually dies. There is no known treatment for TCD. The disease was first found in Colorado in 2003 and has since been detected in 13 other states.

Walnut Twig Beetle was first confirmed in Ohio in late 2012 in traps set by Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry officials in Butler County. Additionally, scientists from the Ohio Plant Diagnostic Network, a cooperative partnership between ODA and The Ohio State University, recently isolated the TCD fungus from walnut branch samples from the Butler County area, marking the first time TCD has been confirmed in Ohio.

ODA is in the process of expanding its TCD quarantine to include Butler County. ODA officials have also been working to set Walnut Twig Beetle traps in portions of Butler, Hamilton and Warren counties to monitor for any additional infestations of the beetle.

Landowners and homeowners are strongly encouraged to watch for signs of TCD on their walnut trees. Symptoms of TCD vary, but commonly include thinning crowns, yellowing or wilted leaves in the crown and limbs that died recently.

Asian Longhorned Beetles are large, shiny black insects measuring 1 to 1 ½ inches long, not including antennae, with random white spots. Their white‐banded antennae can be as long as the body itself on females and almost twice the body length on males. The invasive Asian Longhorned Beetle grows, reproduces in and kills up to 13 genera of trees such as maple, birch, horse chestnut, poplar, willow, elm, ash and buckeye.

Asian Longhorned Beetle was first confirmed in Ohio in 2011. The beetles were found to be infesting trees in Tate Township in Clermont County. In addition to the Ohio infestation, the beetle is currently found in parts of Massachusetts and New York, with eradication efforts succeeding in Illinois and New Jersey. ODA continues to work with the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and other partners to eradicate the Asian Longhorned Beetle from Ohio. In an effort to detect and prevent future infestations of Asian Longhorned Beetle USDA APHIS has declared the month of August as Tree Check Month, encouraging citizens to get out and check their trees for signs of the beetle.

Signs of Asian Longhorned Beetle infestation include perfectly round exit holes (about 3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter) made by adult beetles when they emerge from trees; the pockmarks on tree trunks and branches where female beetles deposit eggs; frass (wood shavings and saw dust) produced by larval feeding and tunneling; early fall coloration of leaves or dead branches; and running sap produced by the tree at the egg laying sites, or in response to larval tunneling. Infested trees may also snap or break during high winds due to the wood being weakened by tunneling.

ODA encourages citizens to check their trees and be on the lookout for signs of these pests. To report signs and symptoms on your trees, please contact ODA at 855‐252‐6450 or by email at plantpest@agri.ohio.gov. For more information go to www.agri.ohio.gov.

Media Contact: Brett Gates, Public Information Officer, 614‐752‐9817

Illinois Expands EAB Quarantine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13, 2010

TWO EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS COUNTIES PART OF STATE EAB QUARANTINE

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) has added Ford and Iroquois counties to its emerald ash borer quarantine.

The expansion became necessary after the discovery of the destructive beetle outside the boundaries of the former quarantine in March. The detection was made in Iroquois County north of Loda at a highway rest area along Interstate 57.

"EAB hasn't been confirmed in Ford County," Warren Goetsch, IDOA bureau chief of Environmental Programs, said. "It was included in the quarantine because it's situated between known infestations in Iroquois County to the east and McLean County to the west."

With the addition of Ford and Iroquois, all or parts of 23 counties in northern and central Illinois now are under quarantine. The quarantine is intended to prevent the artificial spread of the beetle through the movement of infested wood and nursery stock. Specifically, it prohibits the removal of the following items:

• The emerald ash borer in any living stage of development.
• Ash trees of any size.
• Ash limbs and branches.
• Any cut, non-coniferous firewood.
• Bark from ash trees and wood chips larger than one inch from ash trees.
• Ash logs and lumber with either the bark or the outer one-inch of sapwood, or both, attached.
• Any item made from or containing the wood of the ash tree that is capable of spreading the emerald ash borer.
• Any other article, product or means of conveyance determined by the Illinois Department of Agriculture to present a risk of spreading the beetle infestation.

The emerald ash borer is a small, metallic-green beetle native to Asia. Its larvae burrow into the bark of ash trees, causing the trees to starve and eventually die. While the beetle does not pose any direct risk to public health, it does threaten the tree population. Since the emerald ash borer was first confirmed in the Midwest in the summer of 2002, it has killed more than 25 million ash trees.

The beetle often is difficult to detect, especially in newly-infested trees. Signs of infestation include the presence of metallic-green beetles about half the diameter of a penny on or around ash trees, thinning and yellowing leaves, D-shaped holes in the bark of the trunk or branches and basal shoots. Anyone who suspects an ash tree has been infested should contact their county Extension office, their village forester or the IDOA.

EAB was first confirmed in Illinois in Kane County in 2006. How the emerald ash borer arrived in the state is unknown, but the IDOA suspects it was transported here in contaminated firewood. To prevent future such occurrences, the department encourages Illinoisans to purchase only locally-grown nursery stock and locally-cut firewood.

The full quarantine order and detailed information about the EAB program can be accessed on the internet at http://www.illinoiseab.com/.

Emerald Ash Borer Discovered in McLean County

Tree-killing beetle caught in EAB monitoring trap located in Bloomington

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A destructive beetle responsible for killing millions of ash trees in North America has been discovered in McLean County, the southernmost detection of the pest in Illinois.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture said today it has received confirmation that two beetles collected late last week in Bloomington are adult emerald ash borers. The beetles were caught in an EAB trap located in an industrial area on the southwest side of Bloomington. Hundreds of the distinctive, purple traps were placed this year throughout a 100-mile band across the northern half of Illinois, where the beetle was first discovered in the state, and downstate at sites deemed to be at high risk of beetle infestation.
“Our staff now will survey ash trees in the surrounding area to determine the size of the infestation,” Acting Agriculture Director Tom Jennings said. “That information will be helpful when we consider adjustments to the boundaries of the quarantine we established to slow the spread of this pest.”
The emerald ash borer is a small, metallic-green beetle native to Asia. Its larvae burrow into the bark of ash trees, causing the trees to starve and eventually die. While the beetle does not pose any direct risk to public health, it does threaten the tree population. Since the emerald ash borer was first confirmed in the Midwest in the summer of 2002, it has killed more than 30 million ash trees.
McLean is the seventh county in Illinois with a confirmed infestation of emerald ash borer. Previous detections were made in Kane, Cook, LaSalle, DuPage, Will and McHenry counties.
All or parts of the 18 northeastern-most Illinois counties currently are under quarantine to prevent the accidental spread of the beetle. The quarantine prohibits the intrastate movement of potentially-contaminated wood products, including ash trees, limbs and branches and all types of firewood. In addition, the entire states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan have been placed under a federal quarantine. It prohibits the interstate movement of these same products.

The emerald ash borer is difficult to detect, especially in newly-infested trees. Citizens should watch for metallic-green beetles about half the diameter of a penny on or near ash trees that are showing signs of disease or stress. Other signs of infestation in ash trees include D-shaped holes in the bark of the trunk or branches and shoots growing from its base. The Illinois Department of Agriculture urges that all tree removal companies enter into compliance with the department. The department also encourages citizens to only hire vendors who are in compliance. Anyone who suspects a tree has been infested is urged to contact either their county Extension office or village forester. For more information, visit www.IllinoisEAB.com on the internet.

New Website: TreeResearch.Org highlights success of controlling EAB in new video

Press Release
Birmingham, MI (PRWEB) June 2, 2008 -- The successful control of Emerald Ash Borer is highlighted in a video on www.TreeResearch.org.

The video is hosted by Dr. Dave Roberts, specialist and district horticulture agent with Michigan State University Extension, who first identified Emerald Ash Borer in 2002. The video provides details about the signs and diagnosis of EAB, as well as an overview of chemicals and fertilizers used to successfully treat Ash trees.

Southeastern Michigan arborists demonstrate the procedures for the survival and recovery of Ash trees. They explain that the most effective method is to utilize trunk injections that do not require drilling since the holes permanently damage a tree's ability to move nutrients.

The recommended action, as shown in the video, is for annual applications of the pesticide Imidacloprid in areas with heavy infestations and in the curative stages and the use of it every other year in preventive situations. Pointer, an Imidacloprid product from ArborSystems that is labeled by the EPA for two-year control, is used along with various fertilizers and root stimulants to keep the trees as healthy as possible.

The 24 minute video was created for homeowners, commercial property owners and municipalities to have real life examples of the most efficient remedy and procedure for healing and saving Ash trees rather than destroying or cutting them down. Although EAB has destroyed millions of Ash trees throughout the Midwest, the video shows treated Ash trees flourishing within a residential neighborhood in Plymouth, Michigan; Oakland County International Airport in Waterford; Michigan; City of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan; and Edsel & Eleanor Ford House Estate along the shores of Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan.

Emamectin benzoate approved for use against Emerald Ash Borer in Illinois

Press Release from the Illinos Department of Agriculture
April 22, 2008

NEW TOOL APPROVED IN FIGHT AGAINST DEADLY BEETLE

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinoisans will now have an effective alternative to tree removal in their arsenal against the Emerald Ash Borer, a deadly wood-boring beetle that has plagued Illinois and North America long before its initial discovery in 2002.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture on April 15th, approved a special local need request for the use of Tree-ägeTM, an insecticide touted as the most effective chemical weapon against EAB. Nearing 100 percent effectiveness, the product, developed by Swiss agrochemicalcompany Syngenta and Massachusetts firm Arborjet, has an active ingredient called emamectin benzoate which is injected directly into the ash tree’s vascular system where EAB larvae feast. The direct injection affects only the beetle larvae and will not harm anything coming into contact with the tree such as butterflies, birds and squirrels.

After yearlong preliminary studies, Michigan and most recently, Indiana officials have approved the chemical. Based on results in Michigan, preliminary evidence suggests that a single treatment could provide up to two years of control. Ideally intended as a preventative treatment for healthy, non-EAB-infested trees,TreeägeTM is most suitable for trees in close proximity to EAB-infested areas.

“IDA encourages property owners to consult with a certified arborist or tree care company to discuss treatment pricing and other options suitable for their situation,” says Warren Goetsch, bureau chief of Environmental Programs. “Cost will be a factor for most homeowners. This tool will most likely be used by golf courses and other landscape areas where entire canopies will be devastated affecting local commerce.”

First discovered in Illinois in June 2006, EAB has since been confirmed in communities within Kane, Cook, LaSalle and DuPage counties. A quarantine has been issued for the northeastern-most area of the state in an attempt to prevent its spread. EAB quarantine provision compliance is urged for all contractors and public works officials around the state, and especially those within the EAB quarantined area in all or parts of the 18 northeastern-most counties of the state.

The quarantine prohibits the removal of the following items from regulated areas:
• The emerald ash borer in any living stage of development.
• Ash trees of any size.
• Ash limbs and branches.
• Any cut, non-coniferous firewood.
• Bark from ash trees and wood chips larger than one inch from ash trees.
• Ash logs and lumber with either the bark or the outer one-inch of sapwood, or both, attached.
• Any item made from or containing the wood of the ash tree that is capable of spreading the emerald ash borer.
• Any other article, product or means of conveyance determined by the Illinois Department of Agriculture to present a risk of spreading the beetle infestation.
• waste haulers must cover regulated material from an infested area during transport through EAB flight season, which is from June through August.

Anyone convicted of moving prohibited items from the quarantine area without prior certification by an Illinois Department of Agriculture nursery inspector may be fined up to $500.How the emerald ash borer arrived in Illinois is unknown, but the department suspects it
may have been transported here in contaminated firewood. To avoid the accidental introduction of the beetle to new areas, the department encourages Illinoisans to purchase only locally-grown
nursery stock and locally-cut firewood. Anyone who suspects a tree has been infested is urged to contact the department or their village forester for a consultation.

The emerald ash borer is difficult to detect, especially in newly-infested trees. Citizens should watch for metallic-green beetles about half the diameter of a penny on or near ash trees that are showing signs of disease or stress. Other signs of infestation in ash trees include D-shaped holes in the bark of the trunk or branches and shoots growing from its base. Anyone who suspects a
tree has been infested is urged to contact their county Extension office. For more information, visit www.IllinoisEAB.com on the internet.

USDA AND ITS PARTNERS DECLARE VICTORY OVER THE ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE

USDA Press Release: April 17, 2008

Illinois is First State to Reach Eradication of the Invasive Pest



CHICAGO, April 17, 2008 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the City of Chicago today announced the official eradication of the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) from Illinois. The event was held in the Ravenswood, Chicago neighborhood where the pest was found almost 10 years ago. This makes Illinois the first state fighting active ALB infestations to declare victory over the invasive insect.

"This successful eradication would not have been possible without the solid partnership between federal, state and local governments fighting ALB in Illinois," said Bruce Knight, under secretary for USDA's marketing and regulatory programs. "Eliminating the ALB involved the innovative use of resources, open lines of communication between government agencies and the public and a united commitment to decisive and results-oriented actions."

ALB was discovered in Illinois in the summer of 1998, and the most recent infestation was detected around Chicago's Oz Park in 2003. Since that time, extensive surveys have not found adult ALB or any signs of infestation. With at least four years of active surveys and no signs of insects or infestation uncovered, USDA and its partners now can declare ALB eradication in Illinois.

"The combination of great teamwork with our state and federal allies and the extremely strong support of Mayor Daley and our elected officials from the impacted neighborhoods made it possible for us to aggressively go after this invasive pest and eradicate the ALB from Chicago," said Deputy Commissioner Malcolm Whiteside, head of the Chicago Department of Streets & Sanitation's Bureau of Forestry.

Between 1998 and 2006, approximately 1,771 host trees were removed to destroy the invasive insect. In Illinois, ALB quarantine zones have existed in numerous Chicago neighborhoods, including Oz Park, Ravenswood, Kilbourn Park, Loyola, Park Ridge, O'Hare, Addison and Summit. As many as 35 square miles were quarantined for the pest in and around Chicago, with 61 square miles considered infested and surveyed for signs of beetles. The last chemical treatments took place in the Oz Park area in 2006.

"This day would not have been possible without the hard work and cooperation of many individuals and agencies," said Warren Goetsch, bureau chief of environmental programs for the Illinois Department of Agriculture. "The federal and state governments, along with the efforts of the city of Chicago and various towns and villages, all contributed mightily to the success of this project. I encourage local residents to recognize the tremendous work put forth by these groups and join us as we celebrate the complete eradication of this pest in Illinois"

Today's eradication event took place in the same Ravenswood neighborhood where an alert citizen first discovered the ALB when he reported an unusual beetle on tree limbs in the late 1990's. More than 1,400 infested trees were removed from that area alone.

The ALB is about 1.5 inches long and shiny black with antenna up to twice the length of their bodies, banded in black and white. Host tree species that beetles favor include maple, birch, elm and poplar, among others.

USDA currently is working with its state and local government partners to eradicate ALB in parts of New York and in central New Jersey. Additional information about ALB can be found at www.aphis.usda.gov.

PURPLE TRAPS BECOME FOCUS OF DETECTION STRATEGY FOR EMERALD ASH BORER

Illinois Department of Agriculture News Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2008

CONTACTS:
Jeff Squibb 217-558-1546
Paris Ervin 217-558-0994

PURPLE TRAPS BECOME FOCUS OF DETECTION STRATEGY FOR EMERALD ASH BORER

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – It’s purple, it’s sticky, it hangs in trees and is intended to help state and federal officials find a cunningly deceptive creature, the emerald ash borer (EAB).

The Illinois Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), will use these purple traps in Illinois to look for EAB, an invasive pest that is deadly to ash trees. The beetle is small and stealth-like in its behavior patterns and is extremely difficult to detect. If not controlled, it threatens to devastate the entire ash species in North America. The box-kite-looking purple traps will be hung in trees primarily in a 100-mile band on the outskirts of the last known southernmost infested site in Peru, Ill. The area essentially is a 100-mile wide arc that includes 49 counties across central and northwestern Illinois where approximately 2,700 of these traps will be placed. An additional 750 traps will be placed in the Chicagoland area and another 250 will be placed in southern Illinois at various high risk sites such as tree nurseries and campgrounds.



“It is important to note that these traps will not bring EAB to a non-infested site. They will simply let us know if the beetle is already there,” Warren Goetsch, chief of the department’s Bureau of Environmental Programs, said. Department officials are asking for the public’s cooperation in ensuring that these traps are left alone to “do their thing.”

“We realize that these traps may be an eye-sore to some and a source of entertainment to others, but in order for these traps to work, they must be left alone,” Goetsch said. “It’s important that the public is aware of their purpose and helps us keep them in place.”

First discovered in Illinois in June 2006, EAB has since been confirmed in communities within Kane, Cook, LaSalle and DuPage counties. A quarantine has been issued for the northeastern-most area of the state (see IL EAB QUARANTINE AREA below) in an attempt to prevent its spread.

EAB quarantine provision compliance is urged for all contractors and public works officials around the state, and especially those within the EAB quarantined area in all or parts of the 18 northeastern-most counties of the state.

The quarantine prohibits the removal of the following items from regulated areas:
• The emerald ash borer in any living stage of development.
• Ash trees of any size.
• Ash limbs and branches.
• Any cut, non-coniferous firewood.
• Bark from ash trees and wood chips larger than one inch from ash trees.
• Ash logs and lumber with either the bark or the outer one-inch of sapwood, or both, attached.
• Any item made from or containing the wood of the ash tree that is capable of spreading the emerald ash borer.
• Any other article, product or means of conveyance determined by the Illinois Department of Agriculture to present a risk of spreading the beetle infestation.
• waste haulers must cover regulated material from an infested area during transport through EAB flight season, which is from June through August.

Anyone convicted of moving prohibited items from the quarantine area without prior certification by an Illinois Department of Agriculture nursery inspector may be fined up to $500.

How the emerald ash borer arrived in Illinois is unknown, but the department suspects it may have been transported here in contaminated firewood. To avoid the accidental introduction of the beetle to new areas, the department encourages Illinoisans to purchase only locally-grown nursery stock and locally-cut firewood. Anyone who suspects a tree has been infested is urged to contact the department or their village forester for a consultation.

ILLINOIS EAB QUARANTINE AREA
The entire Counties of Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, McHenry, Putnam, Will and Winnebago;
1. The eastern portion of Ogle County described as follows:
A. bounded on the north by the northern Ogle County line from Meridian Road to the eastern Ogle County line;
B. bounded on the east by the eastern Ogle County line;
C. bounded on the south by the southern Ogle County line from the eastern Ogle County line to Meridian Road; and
D. bounded on the west by Meridian Road or its northern projection from the southern Ogle County line to the northern Ogle County line;
2. The eastern portion of Lee County described as follows:
A. bounded on the north by the northern Lee County line from Meridian Road to the eastern Lee County line;
B. bounded on the east by the eastern Lee County line;
C. bounded on the south by the southern Lee County line from the eastern Lee County line to the southerly projection of Meridian Road; and
D. bounded on the west by Meridian Road or its southerly projection from the northern Lee County line to the southern Lee County line;
3. The eastern portion of Bureau County described as follows:
A. bounded on the north by the northern Bureau County line from Illinois Route 40 to the eastern Bureau County line;
B. bounded on the east by the eastern Bureau County line;
C. bounded on the south by the southern Bureau County line from the eastern Bureau County line to Illinois Route 40; and
D. bounded on the west by Illinois Route 40;
4. The northwestern portion of Livingston County described as follows:
A. bounded on the north by the northern Livingston County line;
B. bounded on the east by Interstate 55 from the northern Livingston County line to the intersection of Interstate 55 and Illinois Route 116;
C. bounded on the south by Illinois Route 116 from the intersection of Interstate 55 and Illinois Route 116 to the western Livingston County line; and
D. bounded on the west by the western Livingston County line.

The emerald ash borer is difficult to detect, especially in newly-infested trees. Citizens should watch for metallic-green beetles about half the diameter of a penny on or near ash trees that are showing signs of disease or stress. Other signs of infestation in ash trees include D-shaped holes in the bark of the trunk or branches and shoots growing from its base. Anyone who suspects a tree has been infested is urged to contact their county Extension office. For more information, visit www.illinoiseab.com on the internet.

Emerald ash borer found in LaSalle County

July 11, 2007 SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The tree-killing emerald ash borer has been found in LaSalle County, the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday.

The small metallic-green beetles and their larvae were found in ash trees just north of Peru at the cloverleaf intersection of Interstate 80 and Illinois Route 251, the department said.

"Our staff now is surveying ash trees in the surrounding area to define the size of the infestation," Agriculture Director Chuck Hartke said in a statement.

The larvae of the emerald ash borer, a native of Asia, kill ash trees by burrowing into their bark. The invasive insect has killed an estimated 20 million ash trees since it was first confirmed in the Midwest in the summer of 2002.

The beetles were first spotted in Illinois in June 2006 in rural Kane County. They since have been found in the northern Cook County communities of Wilmette, Evanston, Winnetka, and Skokie.

Hartke said the department has imposed a quarantine in parts of five counties to stop the movement of ash wood and live ash trees or saplings out of infested areas. It also is removing infested trees at no expense to homeowners and making a comprehensive survey of ash trees in northeastern Illinois, he said.