Purdue University - Extension - Forestry and Natural Resources
Got Nature? Blog
An adult emerald ash borer feeds off a leaf. (Purdue University Department of Entomology photo/John Obermeyer)
Article by Pat Munsey, taken from KokomoPerspective.com:
The ash borer beetle is a scourge that has spread across the Midwest for more than a decade, laying waste to trees as it burrows and feeds. Now it is in Howard County.
Ash trees in several areas of the community are showing signs of the inevitable death that comes with infestation, but citizens can stop the pest in its tracks.
According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the beetles were first discovered in Indiana on April 21, 2004. Since that time, it has steadily spread across the state with heavy concentrations in the northeast. Evidence of the insects’ arrival locally began appearing two years ago, and according to Kristy McNeil, an associate at Salsbery Garden Center, it is vital that people take action now to prevent further damage.
Resources
The Ash Borers are Here, Kokomo Perspective
Emerald Ash Borer, Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)
Emerald Ash Borer in Indiana, Purdue Extension
The sound of cicadas is one of the more distinguishable nature sounds of the Midwestern summer. Whether you love it or hate it, the call of the cicadas will be returning this summer in a different and likely louder way than in the past couple years in Indiana.
Photo credit: John Obermeyer
Cicadas are interesting insects, living the vast majority of their lives underground as larvae for several years before emerging to the surface to shed their shells and become adults for around a month and reproduce before dying. In general, there are two types of cicadas: annual and periodical.
Annual cicadas are about two inches long and are greenish in color. They are found in vast numbers in the late summer and early autumn. Unlike their name suggests, they live as larvae for two to three years before emerging, but due to overlapping generations, they can be heard every year. They produce their loud, buzzing and ticking calls from their abdomen to attract mates.
In contrast, the periodical cicadas emerge much less frequently. There are two groups of periodical cicadas, one that emerges from its larval state after 13 years and another that emerges after 17. There are 23 observed broods of these that have been well documented by entomologists for decades. These insects are different visually and audibly from their annual relatives. The periodical cicadas have red eyes and orange and black bodies, as opposed to the annual cicada’s green appearance. As well as a buzzing sound, they can also produce a unique, high-pitched tone sounding like “weeee-ooh” or “pharoah.”
Brood XXIII of the 13-year periodic cicadas will emerge this June, and it is expected to be a big one. While loud, these insects are fairly harmless. They don’t pose a risk to humans as they don’t bite or sting. However, the egg laying process can be harmful to young trees with branches less than 3/4 of an inch thick. These trees can be covered with screens to allow sunlight to still reach the trees while keeping the cicadas out. Pesticides are typically avoided since the adult cicadas do not feed on the trees and will not ingest the chemicals.
If you see the periodical cicada emerge in your area, you can email LCaplan@purdue.edu or call 812-435-5287 to help continue to monitor and document these insects.
Resources
Periodical Cicada Reports From Southern Indiana, Purdue Extension
Periodical Cicada In Indiana, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Periodical Cicada In Indiana, The Education Store
Larry Caplan, Horticulture Educator
Purdue Extension
If you’re walking in the woods or maybe even traveling along a road this spring in Indiana, you may come across some trees that look like the one in the photos. Clearly, something unusual is going on here. What made the bark change color so quickly, and why are there holes in the bark?
The answer to both of those questions for ash trees around the state is Emerald Ash Borer and woodpeckers. As Emerald Ash Borer spreads across Indiana, the population of Emerald Ash Borer larvae overwintering under the bark of ash trees can quickly increase. These grubs provide a tasty treat and important winter and early spring nutrition to hungry woodpeckers.
Woodpeckers of several species are experts at detecting and extracting these grubs by pounding holes in tree bark. Ash bark is generally gray on the surface, but the inner bark is a light corky tan color. Once the woodpeckers find the EAB larvae, their excavation activities flake off the outer bark to expose the lighter colored inner bark. This is actually one of the best indicators of the presence of Emerald Ash Borer in a tree. The woodpecker activity often starts in the upper main stem and branches of ash trees, but as the population of EAB larvae in the trees increase, the woodpecker activity spreads down the trunk of the tree. Trees with this much inner bark exposed indicate an advanced infestation of EAB and signal ash tree mortality in the next year or two.
If you would like to learn more about ash trees and the Emerald Ash Borer, visit the Purdue Emerald Ash Borer website.
Resources
Arrest That Pest! – Emerald Ash Borer in Indiana, The Education Store
Purdue Extension – Forestry & Natural Resources website with search bar, place “Invasive Insect”
Emerald Ash Borer, Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)
Emerald Ash Borer in Indiana, Purdue Extension
New Hope for Fighting Ash Borer, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources Got Nature? blog
Lenny Farlee, Extension Forester
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
Tree disease and insect outbreaks are a lot like fires and floods – they make the news headlines and can lead to some anxiety on the part of landowners. They may also bring out those who use the crisis to make some fast money by taking advantage of that anxiety. I was recently contacted by a landowner who had been advised by a person wanting to buy some timber from him that he should sell some walnut trees “before they are all killed by Thousand Cankers Disease.” There certainly are times when we should consider harvesting trees before they are destroyed by a pest as part of a timber management program (Emerald Ash Borer, for instance), but the evidence we have related to Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) would suggest that selling your trees immediately to avoid mortality and loss is not necessary. Thousand Cankers Disease has two components: a small twig beetle that carries a canker-forming fungus into the inner bark of walnuts. Black walnut trees in several states have been killed by this disease complex, but so far, although the fungus was found on some weevils in Brown County and the beetle was recently detected at a sawmill in Franklin County, no walnut trees in Indiana have been confirmed as killed by TCD. For additional information on TCD, you can visit the following websites: Thousand Cankers Disease and Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) TCD.
There is currently no strong evidence suggesting a need to rush to harvest walnut for fear of a massive die-off caused by TCD. In fact, some trees infected with TCD in Tennessee have shown some recovery from disease symptoms that has coincided with improved growing conditions at those sites. This would suggest doing management that keeps walnut healthy and vigorous like thinning, vine control and elimination of invasive plant species may help your trees resist damage from TCD and other diseases or environmental extremes. This story also demonstrates the importance of getting professional, science-based advice with your forest management decisions. Consult a professional forester when making decisions about the sale of trees. You can find foresters in your area at Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association’s (IFWOA) Directory of Professional Foresters. You can learn more about considerations when selling timber at Call Before You Cut and the extension publications Tips on How to Get the Most From Your Timber Harvest and Marketing Timber.
Landowners, timber buyers and foresters form an important team to manage and utilize the amazing renewable resource that is our hardwood forest in Indiana. There are many reputable firms across the state that purchase timber, providing a great marketplace and economic value to landowners. Your professional forester can help you choose the right buyers, loggers and market outlets to provide a fair price for the products and good work in the woods. Get their help and do your homework before making that decision.
Resources
Thousand Cankers Disease
Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) TCD
Directory of Professional Foresters, Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association (IFWOA)
Call Before You Cut
Tips on How to Get the Most From Your Timber Harvest, The Education Store, Purdue Agriculture Resource Center
Marketing Timber, The Education Store, Purdue Agriculture Resource Center
Lenny Farlee, Hardwood Ecosystem Extension Specialist
Department of Forestry & Natural Resources, Purdue University
“The Walnut Twig Beetle (WTB), Pityophthorus juglandis, the insect involved in Thousand Cankers Disease of Black Walnut (TCD), has been detected in Indiana for the first time at a Franklin County sawmill.
The beetle was detected in a trap placed at the sawmill for a 2014 statewide survey for WTB. Additional WTBs were found during an inspection of walnut logs and lumber at the sawmill. TCD is caused by the fungus Geosmithia morbida that is transmitted by WTB.
The beetles bore into walnut branches, feeding on the tree’s tissues and depositing the fungus that creates a canker, or dead area, under the bark. Multiple feedings cause the formation of thousands of cankers under the bark and destroy the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients. Gradually the tree dies.
Tests for the fungus from the collected beetles and walnut samples in Franklin County are ongoing. So far, the fungus has not been detected. Surveys at the sawmill have not detected any infested walnut trees. Another survey is planned for this summer for the area surrounding the sawmill.
State Entomologist Phil Marshall has ordered the sawmill quarantined. The sawmill is working with the DNR and is destroying walnut material on the property to prevent movement of TCD from the property.”
Note that no live trees have been found with TCD in Indiana yet. It is not recommended that landowners cut their walnut trees due to the disease. Instead, it is recommended that residents do not move firewood or other bark on materials of any species due to the risk of transporting known and unknown insects and diseases.
View Thousand Cankers Disease, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, for more information.
Resources
Walnut Anthracnose, Walnut Notes, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station
Indiana Walnut Council, Industry Representatives include 45 states and 3 foreign countries
Diseases in Hardwood Tree Plantings, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Study: Fungus Behind Deadly Disease in Walnut Trees Mutates Easily, Complicating Control, Purdue Agriculture News
Thousand Cankers Disease, collaborative website
Walnut Twig Beetle and Thousand Cankers Disease of Black Walnut, Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory
Indiana Walnut Council
Diseases in Hardwood Tree Plantings, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Why are my walnut trees dropping their leaves?, Purdue Extension – Forestry & Natural Resources (FNR) Got Nature? Blog
Invasive Species Walnut Twig Beetle Detected in Indiana, Purdue Extension – FNR Got Nature? Blog
Intro to Trees of Indiana: Black Walnut, Purdue Extension – FNR Got Nature? Blog
Planting Hardwood Seedlings in the Central Hardwood Region, The Education Store
Regenerating Hardwoods in the Central Hardwood Region: Soils, The Education Store
Fertilizing, Pruning, and Thinning Hardwood Plantations, The Education Store
Resources and Assistance Available for Planting Hardwood Seedlings, The Education Store
If you’re walking in the woods or maybe even traveling along a road this spring in Indiana, you may come across some trees that look like the one in the photos below. Clearly, something unusual is going on here. What made the bark change color so quickly, and why are there holes in the bark?
The answer to both of those questions for ash trees around the state is Emerald Ash Borer and woodpeckers. As Emerald Ash Borer spreads across Indiana, the population of Emerald Ash Borer larvae overwintering under the bark of ash trees can quickly increase. These grubs provide a tasty treat and important winter and early spring nutrition to hungry woodpeckers. Woodpeckers of several species are experts at detecting and extracting these grubs by pounding holes in tree bark. Ash bark is generally gray on the surface, but the inner bark is a light corky tan color. Once the woodpeckers find the EAB larvae, their excavation activities flake off the outer bark to expose the lighter colored inner bark. This is actually one of the best indicators of the presence of Emerald Ash Borer in a tree. The woodpecker activity often starts in the upper main stem and branches of ash trees, but as the population of EAB larvae in the trees increase, the woodpecker activity spreads down the trunk of the tree. Trees with this much inner bark exposed indicate an advanced infestation of EAB and signal ash tree mortality in the next year or two.
If you would like to learn more about ash trees and the Emerald Ash Borer, visit the Purdue Emerald Ash Borer website.
The Terre Haute area in Indiana is in a tree crisis. With Emerald Ash Borer and other deciding factors, 300+ trees a year will be removed. Over the next few years, this averages to approximately 24 percent of the total trees will be gone. Planning for the future with the knowledge of this loss is crucial. While the city will pay for removing the trees and tree-related projects, it is not in the city’s budget to replace the trees at this time. The city needs to apply for grants to fund replanting projects. The trees are removed due to diseases, age and when people run into them with cars. If you want to learn more about the tree crisis and the action that will be taken, you are welcome to attend the Emerald Ash Borer summit.
What: TREES Inc. Emerald Ash Borer Summit
Where: Vigo County Library, Meeting Rooms A, B and C
When: Thursday, February 12, 12-1:30 pm
Resources
Emerald Ash Borer in Indiana, Purdue Extension
Tree Installation: Process and Practices, The Education Store
Tree Risk Management, The Education Store
Got Nature?
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
Purdue University
The invasive insect has made its way to its 79th county, Sullivan County. It was recently spotted in Jennings, Pike, Scott, Spencer and Warrick counties. There are only a few counties in southern Indiana that have not been affected by the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). In order to slow the spread of the EAB, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has restricted the movement of ash trees, limbs and untreated ash lumber with bark attached or any cut hardwood lumber of any species with bark attached. Visitors to DNR properties may only bring in firewood that has been certified by the USDA or DNR Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology or is free of bark. Homeowners should also be aware of this invasive species. To learn more about the EAB and what signs to look for if your tree is infected, take a look at the resources below.
Resources
Arrest That Pest! – Emerald Ash Borer in Indiana, The Education Store
Invasive Species, Got Nature?
Emerald Ash Borer, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Emerald Ash Borer in Indiana, Purdue Extension
Communities that have been infested by emerald ash borers can apply for a share of a federal grant received by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. This federal grant worth $100,000 will allow for communities in the Great Lakes area to take on tree-planting projects. Due to the loss of trees in the infested areas, planting trees will help replace the large amounts of trees lost by the emerald ash borer. The tree planting project will also improve water quality. Flooding due to storms can cause raw sewage to enter waterways, but trees can intercept the water to stop the flooding. A three inch tree is able to intercept around 400 gallons of water; 800 trees can intercept 320,000 gallons of water which can greatly decrease the chances of flooding. Communities that would like to apply for a share in the grant can first subscribe to the grants information listserv by visiting the Indiana DNR’s forestry site and click on the red envelope on the left side of the page.
Resources
DNR Receives Grant to Help Communities Recover From Ash Borer, Indiana DNR
Emerald Ash Borer, Purdue Extension
Emerald Ash Borer, Indiana DNR
Invasive Insects, Got Nature?
Arrest That Pest! – Emerald Ash Borer in Indiana, The Education Store
Carrie Tauscher, Urban Forestry Specialist
Indiana Department of Natural Resources (INDNR)
Glycobius speciosus, sugar maple borer, photo by Steven Katovich, USDA Forest Service.
Some of the most diverse taxa on the planet are rarely seen yet play critical roles within our environment. The insects found in the Order Coleoptera (beetles) are represented by over 500,000 species. Collectively, these insects provide a wide range of ecosystem services. They are important pollinators and predators on other insects, and they play essential roles in nutrient cycling. While most species are beneficial or vital for ecosystem functions, there are a few species that are considered pests.
Dr. Jeff Holland and research team studying sugar maple borer in the woods.
The Sugar Maple Borer is a native species found throughout the eastern United States. The larval stage of the beetle specializes in feeding on sugar maple trees, particularly stressed or injured trees. In this podcast, our host, Rod Williams, will be interviewing Dr. Jeff Holland about the unique distribution of this wood-boring beetle, how to survey for this species on your property and the impacts to sugar maple trees throughout the eastern deciduous forests.
To find out more information about sugar maple borers, visit:
Holland Website
Bug Guide Identification
Resources
The Education Store (Search entomology or forest)
Got Nature? Blog Posts
Got Nature? Blog Posts
Jeff Holland, Associate Professor of Spatial Ecology and Biodiversity
Department of Entomology, Purdue University
Rod Williams, Associate Professor of Wildlife Science
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University
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