Last night, about 120 people attended a forum at Plymouth Congregational church about the status of thousands of ash trees--currently threatened by the Emerald Ash Borer--here in West Michigan. The West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) organized the forum to help people understand what is at stake and what people can do to save trees. WMEAC Director Rachel Hood welcomed people and set the tone for the evening by encouraging people to plant another tree, particularly native trees. "Even if the ash trees cannot be save we need to preserve our urban forests & trees."

Deborah McCullough with the Department of Entomology & Forestry at Michigan State University (MSU) provided a very interesting overview of the Emerald Ash Borer's arrival in Michigan. The beetle was first identified in Michigan in June of 2002 and since then more than 30 million ash trees have been killed in South East Michigan alone. Fifteen different native ash tree species throughout the United States are at risk. The larvae of the Emerald Ash Borer feed on the underside of the bark in the area of the tree where all of the nutrients are being transported from the leaves, to the branches, down the truck to the roots, called the phloem. Some of the larvae take two years to feed before they emerge, which has implications for the use and longevity of pesticides.

The Emerald Ash Borer probably came from China via crates or pallets that were carrying wood products. The spreading of the Emerald Ash Bore occurred in part due to nursery trees that were already infested and then sold or through the transportation of infested firewood. Professor McCullough showed the evolution of tree deaths from 1998 to the present through a series of Power Point slides.

Professor McCullough said that woodpeckers are becoming natural predators, even though it is not a given that they will keep the Emerald Ash Borer population down. She also said it was recently discovered that there are 3 Chinese parasitoids that will lay their eggs on or in the Emerald Ash Borer, which could lead to these insects killing the beetle.

On the topic of insecticides, it was said that they could be applied by injecting into the ground near the roots or directly into the tree or spraying the lower four feet of the trunk. Generally speaking, young trees are easier to treat than bigger/older trees and the best time to spray and inject the trees are mid to late May.

Greg Sundstrum--who oversees the City of Grand Rapids' effort to maintain urban forests and trees--spoke next. Sundstrom said that Grand Rapids knew about the problem as early as 2002, but didn't take action until 2005-2006. The City government is only responsible for trees on public space, such as along the roads and in parks, but they now know that ash trees are infected throughout the entire city. Ash trees make up 15% of the city's forestry, about 7,000 trees, according to Sundstrom. The City's plan is primarily what Sundstrom called "removal and replacement." The City doesn't have the budget to treat all the trees, so they are going to remove trees and replace them with new saplings.

Fortunately, some residents have come together to force the City to allow people who can treat the trees in front of their homes, trees in the public right of way. If you discover that your ash tree is infested with the Emerald Ash Borer and you want to treat it, you can contact the City and get it on a "no cut" list.

Sundstrom said that a company is also now taking the trees cut down for free to use for making products. The city is planning to plant 15 different types of trees in the city in the future and wants to use this crisis to develop a more vibrant urban forest. They will be marking the trees and notifying residents as infestation is discovered. WMEAC will also be doing some tree identification by working with neighborhoods and residents and encouraging treatment when possible. The City also has an Urban Forestry Committee that residents can get involved in if they want to take a more active role in determining the future of trees throughout the City.

The forum also included a few comments from residents of two different neighborhoods and how they responded to the Emerald Ash Bore. They were followed by two arborists who spoke about whether or not to treat a tree and when to do it. Lastly, a local Native American spoke about the cultural significance of using black ash for making baskets. He stressed the importance of being able to identify trees and to have a relationship with them in order for humans to live in harmony with the trees.