The invasive emerald ash borer beetle has been confirmed in the Upper Cumberland, threatening ash trees throughout the region as forestry officials warn about the damage the beetles can cause.
Area Forester Jeff Thompson said the ash borer is an exotic beetle, native to Asia. Thompson said Ash trees end up dying as the beetle lays its larvae inside the tree, starving the tree of nutrients. Thompson said the trees can stand straight with no support on the inside, as the beetles bore into the trees through the top and hollow them from the inside.
“It’s a very large concern because it’s killing about 99 percent of all the ash,” Thompson said. “I mean, whenever I’m out in the woods, I see some dead ash. And they can be hazards for people or vehicles, buildings.”
Thompson said the beetle can cause damage to forests and urban landscapes. Thompson said killing Ash trees can hurt the environment and the local timber industry.
“They’re a native species,” Thompson said. “They’ve just always been in the woodlands, you know. [They] provide habitat. They can be utilized by people also for firewood or timber, lumber.”
Thompson said native animals like squirrels, raccoons, bats, and others use the trees for shelter and to climb on.
“It’s somewhat similar to the chestnut blight, it will pretty much eliminate one tree from its native environment, and then there’s also invasive tree species that might take over those gaps in the woods,” Thompson said. “It’s definitely not a good thing to lose a native species.”
Thompson said the beetles take a year to kill a tree once making entry. Thompson said the beetles bore through the top, causing an infestation to go unnoticed until it’s too late.
Thompson said an infected tree will have off-color leaves, dead branches on top, and the larvae will leave a D-shaped hole in the tree. Thompson said woodpeckers will target the tree, knocking off bark to eat the larvae or secondary bugs attacking the vulnerable tree.
Thompson said people can help prevent further spreading of infestations.
“Not moving firewood or moving wood from their property to somewhere else,” Thompson said. “Usually, it(beetle) gets transported by people. That’s because the beetle really can’t fly across many states, can’t fly that far.”
Thompson said the state placed a quarantine on lumber moving through Tennessee and surrounding states due to the emerald ash borer problem. However, Thompson said that quarantine has since been lifted.
“The infestation got so bad that quarantine was lifted because the beetles had just spread everywhere,” Thompson said. “And there’s not much ash lumber in the mills anymore because the ash is dying, and a tree logger doesn’t want to cut a dying tree. It’s dangerous.”
