First we lost the elm trees, then the chestnut trees, now the hemlocks, and soon possibly the ash trees. Non-native insects and diseases are slowly whittling away at our forest tree species. The latest on the scene in our area is the Emerald Ash Borer and prognosis for ash trees does not look good.
In the summer of 2013, the beetle was found in three counties in North Carolina and two counties in Georgia and is already well established in Tennessee. It appears to be a matter of time until the beetle calls South Carolina home.
The borer is a small, beautifully iridescent, green, non-native beetle from Asia that most likely arrived in solid wood packing material. It was first discovered near Detroit in 2002. Since then it has spread to 22 states and has killed millions of ash trees. All of our native ash tree species are vulnerable to the beetle. One thing that makes the insect such a serious threat is that it attacks healthy, as well as unhealthy, ash trees.
The beetle attacks the tree by laying eggs on the bark. When the eggs hatch, the larvae bore into the bark and feed on cambium layers which serve to transport water and nutrients. The destroyed transportation layers obstruct the flow of water and nutrients eventually girdling the tree and killing it. On average, within two years of observing symptoms, most of the crown of the tree will be dead and the tree will die within five years, but may take as few as 2-3 years.
So how does the beetle spread? Adult beetles emerge through a unique D-shaped exit tunnel in the bark area and then fly to new host trees. They can spread up to 15 miles per year. Primarily, the beetle spreads more widely and quickly with the help of humans when it is transported from an infested area to a non-infested area in ash wood products such as nursery stock, firewood, mulch and harvested logs.
From GreenvilleOnline.com: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20140401/PCN/304010099/Beetle-targets-state-s-ash-trees