Susan Durisek’s blog

The Emerald Ash Borer has been in the news recently because it was just spotted in Kentucky earlier this year.  This exotic insect pest, thought to have originally arrived in North America in wood aboard ships coming from Asia into Great Lakes ports, was discovered in Michigan about 2002, and has been spreading into other states since then; one of the major means of dissemination is thought to be cut firewood.  Homeowners have been advised to keep an eye on their ash trees for signs of an infestation, and not to plant new ash trees in light of this insect threat.  But do you know how to identify an ash tree?  Community members have been putting green ribbons on them, so if you see a tree marked that way, take a closer look.  UK College of Agriculture Entomology professor Dr. Michael Potter also suggested that it might be helpful to put up some illustrations:

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Ash trees have compound leaves, which means that individual leaflets are grouped onto stalks.  They forma leaf unit made up of smaller leaves, which is then attached to the branch.  On a mature ash tree, the bark has ridges that seem to interlace in a diamond-shaped pattern, but on younger trees, the bark is smooth. 

To go to a CSI style investigation of the Emerald Ash Borer, CLICK HERE.

Want to learn more about the Emerald Ash Borer in Kentucky?  CLICK HERE.