Ravenous Wood-Boring Pest Sets Sight On Morris County Trees

The Ash Trees of Morris County are in danger.

A pest that made its way over the seas from east Asia and put down its first American roots in southeastern Michigan is now on the cusp of expanding its presence in New Jersey. The Emerald Ash Borer, a metallic green beetle about a 1/2-inch long in its adult stage, has already wreaked havoc on more than 50 million trees in eastern North America since it arrived in 2002. Some experts warn that most of the 7.5 billion ash trees that are spread across the United States will likely die, a heartbreaking outcome for trees whose normal lifespan ranges hundreds of years.

The Morris County Board of Freeholders received results on Wednesday of an environmental assessment done this week by tree consultant, Richard Wolowicz. Wolowicz has detailed the devastation wrought by the small insect from Michigan to the East Coast.

"The expectation that Morris County will soon face this issue will present county government, and local municipalities, with some difficult and costly options," said certified tree expert and forester Wolowicz, who was hired by the county Insurance Commission to assess the Emerald Ash Borer issue.

At the freeholder meeting on Wednesday, Wolowicz provided some sobering facts:

• Most of the estimated 7.5 billion ash trees in the U.S., are likely to die;
• There is no practical way to prevent EAB from spreading to virgin woods;
• Almost all untreated ash trees die within five years;
• Infected ash trees become brittle and difficult-to-remove safety hazards;
• There are several treatment options, but they are costly, requiring annual treatment for a decade, and not guaranteed to work

Image of an Ohio Neighborhood, devastated by EAB. Left: Prior to infestation Right: After infestation

Since ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in North America have no immunity to the insect, the EAB has the potential to wipe out more hundreds of millions of ash trees. The Borer is not a leaf feeder, but lethal damage is caused by the insect in its larval stage when it tunnels inside the tree bark, destroying a tree’s vascular system.

“This is not an issue we can avoid,’’ said Freeholder Deborah Smith, who is chair of the Insurance Commission and requested today’s briefing. “It was discovered in New Jersey in 2014 and has moved quickly to eight other counties, including Somerset County. It’s only a matter of time before it crosses into Morris County – if it hasn’t already. We need to be prepared to take action.’’

According to the assessment, there are moves that Morris County and its residents can make in an effort to prevent the mass death of millions of ash trees.

• Start removing low value ash trees as soon as possible, eliminating food for the insect and getting a better price on removal while contractors and tree removal equipment are still available;
• Start treating high value ash trees immediately;
• Start replanting other species of trees as soon as possible to lessen the aesthetic impact.

The Morris County Park Commission Executive Director Dave Helmer said his agency, which has more than 18,000 acres of parkland, has started to inventory ash trees in developed park sites, near campgrounds, trails, parking lots and other busy locations where dying ash trees could pose a safety threat. The Park Commission is also participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Emerald Ash Borer trapping program. Traps have been installed on ash trees in Silas Condict, Lewis Morris, Schooley’s Mountain county parks, as well as at the Mahlon Dickerson Reservation to help determine if and when EAB finds its way to Morris County.

For a detailed video on the EAB issue, visit the county website at http://morriscountynj.gov/ and scroll down to the video.

Images via Morris County government, used with permission.