NEWS RELEASE l Ohio Department of Agriculture
Governor Bob Taft Lieutenant Governor Jennette B. Bradley Director Fred L. Dailey		Communications Office 8995 East Main Street • Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068 Phone: 614-752-9817 • Fax 614-466-7754 ODA URL: www.ohioagriculture.gov • e-mail: agri@agri.ohio.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 23, 2004

Media Contact: Mark Anthony or Melanie Wilt, ODA Communications, 614-752-9817

State Action to Eradicate Emerald Ash Borer Could Begin Next Week

REYNOLDSBURG – As early as next week, the Ohio Department of Agriculture will begin to cut, chip, and remove ash trees from properties in Rossford, Hicksville, and the Easton area of Columbus in an effort to eradicate the destructive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) insect from Ohio.

The department has mailed a letter to each affected property owner in the areas informing them of the action taken under the department's authority in state law (Ohio Revised Code Section 927.70) to control, eradicate, and prevent the spread of the invasive ash tree pest which was confirmed last year. State regulations are in place to control and prevent the spread of a number of invasive species and plant diseases to protect the health of Ohio's plants and prevent massive economic losses to the nursery, timber, and tourism industries and the communities they serve.

The department's goal is to eliminate the pest as quickly as possible before it can hatch into its adult stage in May and spread, and minimize inconvenience for the residents who are sacrificing their trees to prevent EAB from affecting others.

About 65 properties in Columbus, 18 properties in Rossford, and 125 properties in Hicksville will have ash trees removed. They were recently quarantined (restricted from moving any trees, branches, firewood, or wood chips.) In all, an estimated 11,633 ash trees, most of which are less than six inches in diameter, are targeted for removal (9,934 in Columbus; 353 in Rossford; and 1,346 in Hicksville).

Property owners who have specific questions about their properties or ash trees are encouraged to call the department at 614-728-6400.

Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive species from Asia that belongs to a group of insects known as metallic wood-boring beetles. Adults are dark metallic green in color, ½ inch in length and 1/16 inch wide, and are present from mid May until late July. Larvae are creamy white in color and invade and damage the tree the rest of the year. It will typically kill an ash tree within three years.

Trees with Emerald Ash Borer show similar symptoms of infestation – die-back on the upper third of the tree, D-shaped exit holes in the bark where adults emerge, vertical splits in the bark, and distinct serpentine-shaped tunnels beneath the bark in the cambium, where larvae effectively cut off food and water to the tree, starving it to death. The borer is known to affect white, black, and green ash trees and all varieties of horticultural ash.

The Emerald Ash Borer is thought to have existed in North America for about the last five years. Its first confirmation came last summer in Michigan, where it is estimated to have destroyed over a million ash trees to date. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, one of every eight Ohio trees is an ash.

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Note to Editor: More information on the Emerald Ash Borer and pictures of the pest and its destruction are available at the Ohio Department of Agriculture web site, www.ohioagriculture.gov/eab .