Oregon Department of Forestry

Promoting and Practicing Sustainable Forestry

Emerald Ash Borer A threat to Oregon’s forests?

Wyatt Williams Invasive Species Specialist November 21, 2013

D. Cappaert, Michigan State U.

Emerald Ash Borer adult and larvae Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire

Coleoptera: Buprestidae 15,000 known species, 450 genera

Agrilus 3,000 known species

Origins of EAB

EAB in North America

• First identified, Detroit, MI and Windsor, ON in 2002

• Infestation had been established since ~1990

• Now in 22 states, 2 provinces

= 4 new EAB detections in 2013

How EAB got here

ISPM 15 of IPPC – a treaty of 180 nations

Requirement to treat wood materials for shipping products between countries: • thickness >6 mm • pallets, crates, dunnage, etc. • must be debarked then treated • prevent spread of invasive insects and disease

DE=Germany

National agency who does permitting

Pallet Manufacturer ID #

Treatment: Heat (56oC, 30 min) De-barked

Some effects of EAB

D. Herms

Some effects of EAB

D. Herms

Some effects of EAB

Some effects of EAB

Some effects of EAB

Signs/symptoms of EAB

Costs of EAB

• Ecological – 10’s of millions of trees killed

• Economical – 10’s of millions of dollars spent

Treatments – Eradication/Suppression

Treatments - Chemical

• Tree injections

• Systemic insecticides

– Imidacloprid

– Emamectin benzoate

• Costly ($100-$500)

• Repeat applications

Treatments - Biological Control

• Three parasitoids introduced starting in 2007

• Tetrastichus planipennisi shows most promise

• Released in 2007-2008, follow up surveys in 2012, Michigan

• 21% parasitism rate

• Not enough?

• Still climbing?

Duan et al. 2013 T. Murray

www.dontmovefirewood.org •Continental Dialogue on Non-Native Forests Insects and Diseases (multi-agency) •The Nature Conservancy

Ash trees in Oregon

Name Common Wild Urban Origin

Fraxinus latifolia Oregon ash Yes Yes OR, WA, CA

Fraxinus americana White ash No Yes Eastern U.S.

Fraxinus angustifolia Narrow-leafed ash No Yes Eurasia

Fraxinus excelsior European ash No Yes Europe

Fraxinus pennsylvanica Green ash No Yes Eastern U.S.

*Six additional species may occur in small numbers in urban landscapes.

Native and naturalized Fraxinus spp. in Oregon

USDA PLANTS database

F. latifolia, Oregon Ash

F. dipletala, California Ash

Oregon Ash • Wetland edges up to 3,000’ elevation

• Green flowers, no petals

• Leaf underside covered in dense velvet

• 80’ H, 12-30” DBH

• Leaves 5-13” long, 5-9 blades per leaf

• Blades 3-7” long, 1-1.5” wide

• Samaras 1-2” long

Oregon Ash

Oregon ash – important riparian plant?

Standard APHIS protocol for sampling EAB: • 3-sided, sticky purple prism trap baited with 2 plant volatiles • 3-10 m in ash tree for 16 weeks • 240 sites in western Oregon

W. Williams Oregon Dept. of Forestry

EAB trap locations in Oregon, 2013

ODF: 240 traps

APHIS: 101 traps

340 traps

Typical EAB trap site in western Oregon

W. Williams, Oregon Dept. of Forestry

Typical EAB trap site in western Oregon

W. Williams, Oregon Dept. of Forestry

EAB trap after 8 weeks. Can you find the EAB adult?

W. Williams, Oregon Dept. of Forestry

EAB trap after 8 weeks.

Ash phylogeny

Whitehill et al. 2011

Defensive chemistry of resistant Manchurian Ash

Whitehill et al. 2012 Eyles et al. 2007

Lignoid #1

Pinoresinol

Whitehill et al. 2011

• Nano-LS-MS to investigate protein differences among resistant and susceptible ash species

• Identified 4 major proteins in Manchurian ash that are not in others

• Need to develop feeding bioassay for EAB

• Genes that confer chemical defense could be used in North American ash via hybridization or transgenic approaches

Other invasive pests of trees

• Asian longhorned beetles

– Anoplophora glabripennis

• Asian defoliating moths

– Lymantria dispar

• Phytophthora spp.

– Sudden Oak Death

• Unknown others???

Lesion inside bark

Questions More info:

To report suspect findings, talk to a local:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/emerald_ash_b/

http://www.emeraldashborer.info/

http://oregoninvasiveshotline.org

Oregon Department of Forestry Invasive Species Specialist Wyatt Williams – wwilliams@odf.state.or.us Urban and Community Forestry Program http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Pages/urban_forests/urban_forests.aspx

OSU Forestry Extension Program http://extensionweb.forestry.oregonstate.edu/