The population numbers of EAB will likely crash, but the question is
whether they will go low enough for an ash "rebirth" or will they persist
enough to suppress ash well into the future. There are many examples of
exotic pests and pathogens, and usually the story does not have a happy
ending for the "host:" American chestnut (chestnut blight), flowering
dogwood (anthracnose), American elm (Dutch Elm disease), butternut
(canker), etc..
I am working with someone at the 5-rivers metroparks here in Dayton- they
are doing massive
underplantings<http://www.metroparks.org/Reforestation/Home.aspx>in
ash stands with a wide diversity of tree species in the hopes of
planting a more diverse forest for the next generation. Forest diversity
is the best bulwark against these invasive pests and pathogens...because
*mostly* they key to a specific host (like EAB- which cannot feed on
anything other than the genus Fraxinus = ash). The really scary ones are
those with a broader host range- like gypsy
moth<http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/morgantown/4557/gmoth/>or Asian
longhorn beetle <http://www.agri.ohio.gov/topnews/asianbeetle/> (both are
in Ohio). *Constant vigilance*!!
Ryan W. McEwan, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
The University of Dayton
300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469-2320
Office phone: 1.937.229.2558
Lab phone: 1.937.229.2567
Office Location: SC 223D
Email: [log in to unmask]
Lab: http://academic.udayton.edu/ryanmcewan
On Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 9:13 AM, Steve Hughes <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
> The question I have about the EAB is what happens when all the Ash trees
> are
> gone? Does it adapt to something else or just disappear? It seems a poor
> survival strategy if you kill your food source and it happens to be a tree
> that doesn't replace itself through 10 generations.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Prinster
> Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2013 7:58 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [Ohio-birds] Emerald Ash Borer
>
> As one who always looks for a silver lining I must say that the devastation
> inflicted on the native ash trees by the EAB has been a real benefit to
> novice birders such as my wife and me. Those leafless canopies
> interspersed
> within healthy forest stands makes spotting and identifying birds so much
> easier. Our first ever trip to Maumee back in May was especially rewarding
> because of all the leafless branches. Now if we can just get the EAB to go
> away and let our forests get back to normal.
>
> Mark
>
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______________________________________________________________________
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