The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an exotic beetle that was discovered in Michigan in 2002. The adult beetles eat ash foliage and cause little damage. The larvae (the immature stage), however, feed on the inner bark of ash trees which disrupts the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. An ash tree is infested with EAB will die within 1-5 years (if not treated) and may become a saftey hazard. As of October 2018, EAB has been found in 35 states, including VT where several towns have reported EAB. Ash trees comprise approximately 5% of Vermont forests and are also a very common urban tree. EAB threatens white ash, green ash and black ash in Vermont.
In Huntington, Vt. the local Tree Warden and the Huntington Conservation Commission are taking the lead on preparing for the eventual arrival of EAB in our community. With support from from VT Urban and Community Forestry, the effort is starting with an inventory of Ash trees along road rights-of-way.
Our goal is to survey ROWs along the approximately 43 miles of town roads and create an inventory of where ash trees are located by the end of 2019. The grant that we received needs to be completed by March 2020 and the end product will be a full assessment of ash trees in ROWs and on town owned properties.
We have developed a smartphone app that will allow for easy collection of data which will streamline development of the preparedness plan and will also give us the ability to keep track of the data spatially and create maps.
for Help and additional information, contact: Huntington Tree Warden Nate Sands (nsands@gmavt.net)
or Aaron Worthley, Arrowwood Environmental (aaron@arrowwoodvt.com)