Virginia’s ash tree population likely will be decimated in the next decade by an invading green beetle smaller than a penny found as close to Lynchburg as Campbell County.
While the emerald ash borer has not been confirmed in the George Washington or Jefferson National Forests, where maybe one in every 50 trees is green or white ash, it usually takes two years after settlement before the pests cause visual symptoms. The beetle, native to Asia, has spread swiftly from Michigan along the interstate, carried in packing materials and firewood. The bug also spreads on its own, along rivers where ash trees are abundant.
Individual green and white ash trees — identified by a thick bark with a diamond pattern — found on personal property may be saved by pesticides, but a large-scale operation to stop the spread in the forest is not coming.
The effect on overall forest ecology is not yet known because of the intricate interactions of the forest’s environment. River ecosystems may be affected significantly as ash trees provide shade and erosion protection along riverbanks.
“There’s a lot about ash ecology that we don’t know. If you suddenly take it out of the system, what will that do? It’s going to change it. It will probably create gaps,” said Chris Asaro, forest health specialist of the Charlottesville office of the Virginia Department of Forestry. The forest will continue, but in what shape is unclear.
From The Roanoke Times: https://www.roanoke.com/ap/state/emerald-ash-borer-a-threat-to-virginia-forests/article_1fed5d3a-c3ed-5801-8fe2-7d433ff9c141.html