This document discusses the emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive beetle species that threatens ash trees in North America. It originated in Asia and was first detected in the US in 2002. EAB has since spread to 22 states and killed millions of ash trees. The document outlines the identification, life cycle, impacts and control methods of EAB. It also examines the potential threat of EAB to Oregon, which has one native ash species. To assess the risk, Oregon conducted extensive trapping of EAB in 2013 but did not detect any specimens.

1. Emerald Ash Borer
A threat to Oregon’s forests?
Wyatt Williams
Invasive Species Specialist
November 21, 2013
Oregon Department
of Forestry
Promoting and Practicing
Sustainable Forestry

2. Emerald Ash Borer adult and larvae
Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire
Coleoptera: Buprestidae
15,000 known species, 450 genera
Agrilus
3,000 known species
D. Cappaert, Michigan State U.

3. Origins of EAB

4. EAB in North America
• First identified, Detroit,
MI and Windsor, ON in
2002
• Infestation had been
established since
~1990
• Now in 22 states, 2
provinces

5. = 4 new EAB detections in 2013

6. How EAB got here

7. ISPM 15 of IPPC – a treaty of 180 nations
Requirement to treat wood materials for shipping
products between countries:
• thickness >6 mm
• pallets, crates, dunnage, etc.
• must be debarked then treated
• prevent spread of invasive insects and disease
DE=Germany
National agency who does permitting
Pallet Manufacturer ID #
Treatment: Heat (56oC, 30 min)
De-barked

8. Some effects of EAB
D. Herms

9. Some effects of EAB
D. Herms

10. Some effects of EAB

11. Some effects of EAB

12. Some effects of EAB

13. Signs/symptoms of EAB

14. Costs of EAB
• Ecological – 10’s of millions of trees killed
• Economical – 10’s of millions of dollars spent

15. Treatments – Eradication/Suppression

16. Treatments - Chemical
• Tree injections
• Systemic insecticides
– Imidacloprid
– Emamectin benzoate
• Costly ($100-$500)
• Repeat applications

17. Treatments - Biological Control
• Three parasitoids introduced starting in 2007
• Tetrastichus planipennisi shows most promise
• Released in 2007-2008, follow up surveys in
2012, Michigan
• 21% parasitism rate
• Not enough?
• Still climbing?
Duan et al. 2013
T. Murray

18. www.dontmovefirewood.org
•Continental Dialogue on Non-Native Forests Insects and Diseases (multi-agency)
•The Nature Conservancy

19. Ash trees in Oregon
Name
Common
Wild
Urban Origin
Fraxinus latifolia
Oregon ash
Yes
Yes
OR, WA, CA
Fraxinus americana
White ash
No
Yes
Eastern U.S.
Fraxinus angustifolia
Narrow-leafed ash
No
Yes
Eurasia
Fraxinus excelsior
European ash
No
Yes
Europe
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Green ash
No
Yes
Eastern U.S.
*Six additional species may occur in small numbers in
urban landscapes.

20. Native and naturalized Fraxinus spp.
in Oregon
F. latifolia, Oregon Ash
F. dipletala, California Ash
USDA PLANTS database

21. •
•
•
•
•
•
•
Oregon Ash
Wetland edges up to 3,000’ elevation
Green flowers, no petals
Leaf underside covered in dense velvet
80’ H, 12-30” DBH
Leaves 5-13” long, 5-9 blades per leaf
Blades 3-7” long, 1-1.5” wide
Samaras 1-2” long

22. Oregon Ash

23. Oregon ash – important riparian plant?

26. Standard APHIS protocol for sampling EAB:
• 3-sided, sticky purple prism trap baited with 2 plant volatiles
• 3-10 m in ash tree for 16 weeks
• 240 sites in western Oregon
W. Williams
Oregon Dept. of Forestry

27. EAB trap locations in Oregon, 2013
340 traps
ODF: 240 traps
APHIS: 101 traps

28. Typical EAB trap site in western Oregon
W. Williams, Oregon Dept. of Forestry

29. Typical EAB trap site in western Oregon
W. Williams, Oregon Dept. of Forestry

30. EAB trap after 8
weeks.
Can you find the
EAB adult?

31. EAB trap after 8
weeks.
W. Williams, Oregon Dept. of Forestry

32. Ash phylogeny
Whitehill et al. 2011

33. Defensive chemistry of resistant
Manchurian Ash
Lignoid #1
Pinoresinol
Eyles et al. 2007
Whitehill et al. 2012

34. Whitehill et al. 2011
• Nano-LS-MS to investigate protein differences
among resistant and susceptible ash species
• Identified 4 major proteins in Manchurian ash
that are not in others
• Need to develop feeding bioassay for EAB
• Genes that confer chemical defense could be
used in North American ash via hybridization
or transgenic approaches

35. Other invasive pests of trees
• Asian longhorned beetles
– Anoplophora glabripennis
• Asian defoliating moths
– Lymantria dispar
• Phytophthora spp.
– Sudden Oak Death
• Unknown others???
Lesion inside bark

36. More info:
Questions
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/emerald_ash_b/
http://www.emeraldashborer.info/
To report suspect findings, talk to a local:
http://oregoninvasiveshotline.org
Oregon Department of Forestry
Invasive Species Specialist
Wyatt Williams – wwilliams@odf.state.or.us
Urban and Community Forestry Program
http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Pages/urban_forests/urban_forests.aspx
OSU Forestry Extension Program
http://extensionweb.forestry.oregonstate.edu/