Jun 9, 2009 6:48 pm US/Central
Mpls. Ramps Up Surveillance Of Emerald Ash Borer
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
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Armed with sticky purple boxes, foresters across Minnesota are stepping up their surveillance of the emerald ash borer.
CBS
Armed with sticky purple boxes, foresters across the state are stepping up their surveillance of the emerald ash borer.
The damaging insect has already wiped out millions of ash trees in the eastern U.S. and the Great Lakes states and was recently discovered in St. Paul.
Just three weeks after confirming Minnesota's first confirmed cases of the tree disease in the South St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul, foresters in Minneapolis are now on high alert. This week, crews with the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation forestry section have been out setting dozens of insect traps in strategically located ash trees.
"We are setting out an intensive area of traps within a 4-mile radius of the confirmed infestation," said Minnesota Department of Agriculture spokesman Mike Schommer.
Near Como Avenue and 15th Street Southeast in Minneapolis, in Van Cleve Park, city crews had placed one of the sticky purple traps. The 3-sided cardboard trap is scented to attract the adult emerald ash borers. A sticky coating of glue makes sure the insects don't get away.
Throughout the summer arborists will be doing frequent monitoring to see if any of the beetles get caught by the traps. Their presence on the sticky cardboard would be bad news for the city's ash trees; an indication that the infestation has spread beyond the neighborhood in St. Paul.
"Typically if we find an infestation we will notify the Department of Agriculture and the city forester will take action in the surrounding area and do what they can to quarantine in that area," said Jim Spencer, an arborist with Minneapolis Parks and Recreation
More than 1700 emerald ash borer traps will be placed statewide to help determine if the infestation spreads beyond St. Paul. The Department of Agriculture's Schommer said that's four to five times the number of traps put out last summer.
He said the public has a crucial role to play in controlling the emerald ash borer, beginning with reporting trees they suspect might be infected. He urges anyone with questions or concerns to go the
Department of Agriculture's Web site, which has detailed information on identifying and dealing with the exotic invader.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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