Are Ash Trees Facing Potential Destruction?
One of Longfellow’s poems begins “Under a spreading chestnut-tree, the village smithy stands.” While many of us are familiar with the poem, how many have actually stood under a spreading chestnut tree?
My mother speaks of seeking shade under a huge, spectacular American chestnut tree as a respite from the Alabama summer heat. I’ve never seen one!
Unfortunately, the American chestnut story is a sad one. Castanea dentata (American chestnut) was once a native tree that grew from southern Maine down to Alabama and Mississippi. The American chestnut was considered to be the queen of the eastern American forest. With massive, wide-spreading branches and a deep broad-rounded crown, it was known to reach a height of 100 feet.
The American chestnut tree was once known as the queen of the forest
Photo credit: http://www.nbnpress.com/good-news.html
Around 1904, a fungal blight was introduced into the United States from the Orient. Commonly known as the chestnut blight it is believed that the fungus was unintentionally introduced into America from Asian chestnut trees that were imported as nursery stock. Within 40 years the vast stands of American chestnut trees in the eastern United States were completely destroyed.
Today, small trees may develop from sprouts of an American chestnut stump. However, these sprouts eventually succumb to the blight by the time they reach 20 to 25 feet in height.
Since 1980, more than 500 new species of insects and mites have been identified in Florida and are considered established. Florida’s list of most unwanted pests is growing, and pests in other states could spread to Florida through the movement of infested wood and wood products.
One species that Florida is watching closely is the emerald ash borer. This beetle insect was first detected in the United States in 2002. In less than a decade, it has moved from Michigan into 15 other states.
It is very likely that the Emerald Ash Borer will reach Florida in the years to come. This beetle will likely cause a significant decline of ash species in both urban and natural settings
Photo credit: Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Forestry Archive, Bugwood.org
To date, it has killed tens of millions of ash trees. Since there are several ash trees native to Florida, the state faces a high probability of emerald ash borer infestation. Will the ash trees go the way of the American chestnut?
In order to protect Florida’s forests and trees, Florida established a firewood and unprocessed wood product regulation (FAC Chapter 5B-65) to prevent the introduction of unwanted wood pests and diseases into the state. This rule was developed as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, other states and multiple industries. The rule specifically targets the movement of firewood and other untreated forest products more than 50 miles.
What can you do to help?
- Do not transport firewood into Florida from other states or move wood from place to place within Florida. Emerald ash borer and other dangerous pests and diseases can hitchhike on firewood and infest new areas.
- When building a fire, use local firewood only.
- Burn all firewood at your campsite before you leave.
- Do not take any firewood home with you from a camping trip.
- Do not move nursery stock of known hosts from infested areas to non-infested areas.
During this time of Thanksgiving, let’s be thankful for our beautiful American forests. Protect our forests from exotic pests by becoming an advocate. Support Florida agriculture by informing others about the dangers of bringing pests into the Sunshine State.
Contact Information
For further information and to register contact Theresa Friday by phone at 850-623-3868 or e-mail at tlfriday@ufl.edu.
The use of trade names, if used in this article, is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. It is not a guarantee, warranty, or endorsement of the product name(s) and does not signify that they are approved to the exclusion of others.
For more information or if you have a question, call The University of Florida/IFAS-Santa Rosa County Extension, at 850-623-3868, between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm weekdays. Hearing-impaired individuals may call Santa Rosa County Emergency Management Service at 983-5373 (TDD).
Extension Service programs are open to all people without regard to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. The use of trade names in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. It is not a guarantee, warranty, or endorsement of the product name(s) and does not signify that they are approved to the exclusion of others.
