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The emerald ash borer, a vicious tree parasite, strikes again in Chisago County, Minnessotta,the land of ash trees. The authorities intend to include it on the quarantine list as soon as possible, so as to try and limit the spread of this mass tree killer.
It seems that two emerald ash borer specimens have been identified in Chisago County in the traps placed near the ash trees. While it might seem that finding only two specimens is not a cause for serious worry, this is clearly not the case when it comes to this tree parasite, because it has a tremendous capacity to spread all throughout the country.
The emerald ash borer quarantine area has been developed as a nationwide effort to limit the spread of the arthropod and it has been managed in every state by the local Department of Agriculture. Chisago County is actually the ninth Minnessotta county where the parasite has been identified, following Houston, Dakota, Anoka, Fillmore, Hennepin, Olmsted, Winona and Ramsey counties.
The local authorities in Chisago have sent the two ash borer specimens that they have identified to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for further testing, so that they can be prepared to fight the spread of the small critter.
They will have to wait for the results from the national department, but there it is almost certain that these will be positive, because the Chisago authorities have also analyzed the trees where the traps were placed. They removed the bark from these trees and the characteristic spiraled paths of the emerald ash borer larvae have been identified on the wood.
In the event that the emerald ash borer’s presence is confirmed by the national laboratory as well, the authorities will have to employ a series of extensive preventative measures, so that the tree parasite does not get to spread.
Chisago County is actually known to have over 1 billion ash trees, which is more than any other American county has. Therefore, the spread of the ash borer would be particularly destructive there, so it is of the utmost importance that the situation be handled extremely carefully.
Furthermore, the people need to be instructed about the biology and the spread tactics of the emerald ash borer, so that they know how to take care of their trees and how to avoid spreading the contamination further.
The ash borer is quite small and so, it cannot fly too far on its own, but it will stay hidden in the trees, in its larval stage and it can easily be transported to new areas when people move firewood from place to place. This is why it is crucial that they be made aware of the implications of their acts and severity of the consequences on the environment.
Image Source: airiq
