MONROE - The presence of emerald ash borer was identified and confirmed in the city of Monroe on Nov. 11.
A local tree care company was removing two terrace ash trees on the corner of 9th Street and 10th Avenue. The trees were being removed because they were under utility lines and also showed symptoms of potentially being infested with emerald ash borer. As the trees were being removed, limbs from the upper parts of the tree were examined closely and D-shaped exit holes were found in the bark along with S-shaped galleries under the bark that are created by the emerald ash borer larvae as they feed. A larvae sample also was found. The evidence was given to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources which confirmed the findings to be emerald ash borer.
The city of Monroe joins a growing list of Wisconsin communities where the insect has been detected.
Emerald ash borer is native to China and probably entered the United States on packing material, showing up first in Michigan in 2002.
It was first found in Wisconsin in 2008 in Ozaukee County.
Emerald ash borer was confirmed for the first time in Green County in April of this year in the Town of Decatur.
Green County is one of the 39 counties in the state under an emerald ash borer quarantine.
Quarantines prohibit ash wood products and hardwood firewood from being moved to areas that are not quarantined.
Businesses handling wood products that could carry emerald ash borer must work with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to assure that they are not transporting the pest to non-quarantined counties.
For private citizens, a quarantine means that they may not take firewood from these counties to non-quarantined counties. Even moving firewood within a quarantined area could result in carrying emerald ash borer to a part of a county that would otherwise remain free of emerald ash borer for several years.
DATCP recommends that property owners who have ash trees in quarantine counties do the following: Keep a close watch for possible signs of emerald ash borer infestation: thinning canopy, D-shaped holes in the bark, cracked bark, branches sprouting low on the trunk, and woodpeckers pulling at bark; consider preventive treatments for property within 15 miles of a known infestation; consider planting different species of trees that are not susceptible to emerald ash borer; and call a professional arborist and visit emeraldashborer.wi.gov for detailed information.
In preparation for emerald ash borer, the City of Monroe discontinued planting ash trees in 2006. An EAB Management Plan was completed in 2013 and is available on the city's website at www.cityofmonroe.org.
The city began pre-emptively removing ash trees in 2013. The following priority order was used for pre-emptive removals: Large, structurally unsound ash in poor condition; smaller ash in poor condition; ash that are improperly placed or are interfering with other infrastructures such as blocking stop signs or under overhead utility lines.
In 2015, the city received an Urban Forestry Grant from the Department of Natural Resources. The grant allowed the city to hire a consultant to perform an inventory of trees on the terraces and in city parks. The inventory showed that there were 680 terrace ash trees and 97 park ash trees. The grant also provided funds to begin treating some of the best ash trees along with funding to expand the pre-emptive removal of ash trees.
A local tree care company was removing two terrace ash trees on the corner of 9th Street and 10th Avenue. The trees were being removed because they were under utility lines and also showed symptoms of potentially being infested with emerald ash borer. As the trees were being removed, limbs from the upper parts of the tree were examined closely and D-shaped exit holes were found in the bark along with S-shaped galleries under the bark that are created by the emerald ash borer larvae as they feed. A larvae sample also was found. The evidence was given to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources which confirmed the findings to be emerald ash borer.
The city of Monroe joins a growing list of Wisconsin communities where the insect has been detected.
Emerald ash borer is native to China and probably entered the United States on packing material, showing up first in Michigan in 2002.
It was first found in Wisconsin in 2008 in Ozaukee County.
Emerald ash borer was confirmed for the first time in Green County in April of this year in the Town of Decatur.
Green County is one of the 39 counties in the state under an emerald ash borer quarantine.
Quarantines prohibit ash wood products and hardwood firewood from being moved to areas that are not quarantined.
Businesses handling wood products that could carry emerald ash borer must work with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to assure that they are not transporting the pest to non-quarantined counties.
For private citizens, a quarantine means that they may not take firewood from these counties to non-quarantined counties. Even moving firewood within a quarantined area could result in carrying emerald ash borer to a part of a county that would otherwise remain free of emerald ash borer for several years.
DATCP recommends that property owners who have ash trees in quarantine counties do the following: Keep a close watch for possible signs of emerald ash borer infestation: thinning canopy, D-shaped holes in the bark, cracked bark, branches sprouting low on the trunk, and woodpeckers pulling at bark; consider preventive treatments for property within 15 miles of a known infestation; consider planting different species of trees that are not susceptible to emerald ash borer; and call a professional arborist and visit emeraldashborer.wi.gov for detailed information.
In preparation for emerald ash borer, the City of Monroe discontinued planting ash trees in 2006. An EAB Management Plan was completed in 2013 and is available on the city's website at www.cityofmonroe.org.
The city began pre-emptively removing ash trees in 2013. The following priority order was used for pre-emptive removals: Large, structurally unsound ash in poor condition; smaller ash in poor condition; ash that are improperly placed or are interfering with other infrastructures such as blocking stop signs or under overhead utility lines.
In 2015, the city received an Urban Forestry Grant from the Department of Natural Resources. The grant allowed the city to hire a consultant to perform an inventory of trees on the terraces and in city parks. The inventory showed that there were 680 terrace ash trees and 97 park ash trees. The grant also provided funds to begin treating some of the best ash trees along with funding to expand the pre-emptive removal of ash trees.