One of the big stories in Oregon this year has been the discovery of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in many parts of the state.
We have been noticing sickly ash trees ever since the ice storm, and chalked it up to drought and disaster taking its toll. Turns out the EAB has been infesting our woodland for a few years.
Our CREP advisors came out and found affected trees, later confirmed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). We’ve become so used to the knowledge it would be here eventually, it was more of a head shake than a shock.
I’d estimate that ash represents about one third of hardwoods here on the farm. Their winsome canopies and golden fall color delight us, so we will miss them. Their place in the ecosystem is unique and irreplaceable. We will hope to find other trees to take their place, but nothing will mend the gap they leave.
At least the big leaf maples are plentiful. But they are also in trouble. This year we noticed young maples dying rapidly. The experts don’t know what is going on. They are seeing big leaf maples dying off all over the Northwest, and can’t identify what is causing it.
One hopeful development came through the ODA. They have been busy testing a parasitic wasp that keeps the EAB under control in Asia, and soon after our infestation was identified, ODA came out and started releasing the wasps. I had an interesting walk through the woods with them, asking questions and helping with the release.
The wasps won’t hurt anything but EAB. They are tiny and delicate. How those fragile insects inject their eggs through tree bark and into EAB larvae —- is simply incredible.
And also, there’s been a proliferation of woodpeckers in the last few years. That should have been a clue! I was delighted to find woodpeckers living in my favorite giant ash tree. Turns out they love EAB for lunch.
I’m cautioned not to be too optimistic. The infested trees won’t survive. But maybe the wasps will naturalize and thrive, and we’ll eventually reach a stasis where our trees can grow again.
In the meantime, the woods are still beautiful. This autumn we had waves of orange and gold, and the walking path was a foot deep in crunchy leaves.
