ALB

Sound pretty serious. While a short boom for tree business's it could end up wiping a lot out. Change the landscape entirely.

The pine bark beetle is doing a heck of a number where I live. Hundreds of thousands of trees dying. However, it is an indigenous pest. And just a natural cycle thing, some say. Other feel the infestation is unprecedented in recent history.
 
My point exactly, Gerry. And really... this isn't just about our business, we LIVE here, too. My house is only 15 minutes from the quarantine area.
 
Any reputable tree company would not want to be associated with the wholesale removal of the host species. It makes for bad press!

Imagine the local new filming you and your crew knocking down specimen tree becuause it happens to be a host species in the quarentine zone.

Merit injections on the other hand would be a nice tidy contract
 
"Infested trees will need to be removed and destroyed, and susceptible host trees may need treatment to prevent further infestations."

seems like they will be doing both treatments. Hope it works.
 
I heard that Chicago was very successful with their erradication program for ALB, but haven't heard any updates recently. Michigan has had it's share of exotic pests (EAB) and somehow it's the tree people that end up taking the brunt ? People are pissed off.
 
I get no grief here for taking out dead or dying pines. It's highly publicized here, the infestation, so people see it as being nescessary.
 
From what info I know about pestalences that attack our native trees seem to come from abroad or so it seems .

The Dutch elm thing was tracked to a load of logs in a cargo ship in the thirties in NY harbor if my info is correct .The emerald ash borer to packing crates from Asia etc etc .

It's bad enough they import that cheap junk I just wish they didn't export the bugs with it .:(
 
"Infested trees will need to be removed and destroyed, and susceptible host trees may need treatment to prevent further infestations."

seems like they will be doing both treatments. Hope it works.

Early on in NYC they removed all host species when damage was detected (within a predetermined zone). Pesticides are not 100% effective.
 
From what I have been reading in the papers, they have targeted 1500 trees for removal once the cold weather sets in. USDA seems to NOT want to repeat the 23,000 tree removal that they oversaw in NJ.
 
We have been inthe quarintine zone for awhile now. I have yet to see an infected Ash tree. The only confirmed case that has been close to me was three trees located along an interstate highway one county over to the west of us.

The EAB is a slow moving insect doesn't travel to far on it's own. If it can be contained as soon as it it spotted it should be easy to contain this bug before it gets out of hand.

Myself, I don't think it will become as widespread of a pest here in my little part of Illinois as it was up in Michigan. We have Ash trees but they are not the predominate species in the landscape. We have many more Maple species than we do Ash.
 
The EAB 'bug' can travel for up to 1/4 mile on its own. So yeah, it should be easy to contain.
But then the feds got involved ...
Trucking logs up to Bay City (100 miles north of the quarantined area) and having it sit there was ign'ant on its best day.
All the while forbidding people to transport fire wood.
O.K.
Any erradication effort has to be concerted.
 
Can the government really do anything right? Except sucking money out of our pockets that is!

Nope....

And it never will!

Anyone who is relying on the gov't (cept da welfare folks yo) should reconsider there future.
 
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Rob, do you ever work in quarrantine areas? Wondering how all that stuff works.

Tomorrow APHIS is coming here to speak to a group of about 300 Arborists/Treewardens. Hopefully it will be all nuts and bolts, none of that veiled BS they are selling to the general public....
 

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Once you run the host material through a chipper it is regarded as being de-regulated or no longer a viable source of food for the bugger.

If the host material is infested then it will be trucked to a facility where it will be incinerated.

Only APHIS approved contractors can handle infested trees.

If during a pruning or removal operation you discover the ALB you must stop and call them ASAP. All material will remain on site until the approved contractor can properly remove it.

In essence, your job and done and the feds will take care of the rest; including the stump!
 
Thanks for the info, Brian. We (colleagues) always wondered out loud, "The studies aren't based on OUR chipper >>> when the blades are dull, that machine spits out 2' long strips of material !"
Is it a FACT that larvae can't survive on / in chipped wood ? Just curious ?
 
Long and short of it, we have a good chance of containing it here and eradicating it.

Otherwise, we're pretty much screwed.

I'll scan and copy all the info I got today and post it on my site soon. =)
 
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