Emerald ash borer. Photo by David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org News Release Distributed 03/20/15
ALEXANDRIA, La. – A quarantine is likely to be imposed soon to ban the movement of wood from ash trees out of Webster Parish because of the discovery there of an invasive insect pest, timber industry personnel learned on March 17 at the Central Louisiana Forestry Forum organized by the LSU AgCenter.
Wood Johnson, an entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said ash trees are most prevalent in Louisiana along the Mississippi River, but only 4 percent of the hardwood in the state is an ash species, with an annual harvest value of $2.6 million.
He said the insect, emerald ash borer, has wiped out ash trees in Ohio and Michigan, and it is found in 25 states and two Canadian provinces. It is native to Asia and believed to have been brought into the U.S. on wooden pallets. It was were first identified in the U.S. in 2002 in Michigan.
Johnson said the trees don’t die until seven to eight years after the insect larvae start feeding on the wood. “It could be here right now, and we don’t even know it,” he said.
Johnson was part of a group that found the ash borer during a survey in February less than a mile from the Arkansas state line. The insect larvae were found in an ash tree that had indications of heavy woodpecker activity, he said. Webster Parish borders the state line of Arkansas, where the insect has been found in the southwestern part of that state.
He said the insect movement has been recorded at a half mile per year, but some literature suggests it could move 10-15 miles in a year, he said.
The pests are often moved by human intervention with the hauling of wood, Johnson said. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to impose a quarantine that would restrict moving ash out of Webster Parish, he said, and that would include hardwood firewood and any ash wood, including nursery stock and wastes. A decision on a quarantine is expected soon after a statewide forestry survey, Johnson said.
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry anticipated last October the insect’s arrival and started a “Don’t Move Firewood” campaign to educate people about the risks of transporting pests to other locations and encourage them to buy firewood not more than 10 miles from where it will be burned. The LDAF has a hotline to report suspected emerald ash borers at (855) 452-5323.
The LSU AgCenter also has a role in safeguarding timber and trees from invasive species. “The LSU AgCenter will continue to support outreach education efforts to forest landowners and the general public through our regional foresters and parish agents,” said LSU Vice President of Agriculture Bill Richardson.
Control of the insect in woodlands is not cost-effective, Johnson said. But products are available for homeowners to protect their trees against the borer. A chemical injected into a tree can be effective, but it must be applied by a licensed applicator, and the cost is $10-$14 per inch of tree diameter. He said the protection lasts about two to three years.
Johnson said homeowners can buy and spray products on a tree trunk and surrounding soil. These include Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub, Safari and Transect, he said. Detailed information on chemical options can be found at the website http://www.emeraldashborer.info.
Johnson said many of the ash trees killed in northern states had been planted to replace chestnut trees that had died from a disease outbreak that started about 100 years ago.
The forestry forum also brought good news, with two new operations that will use Louisiana wood products and a forestry training program.
Robbie Hutchins, LSU AgCenter forestry and wildlife extension agent, said only a few years ago the timber industry was in a slump, but things are turning around.
“The forest industry in Louisiana has fully recovered from the financial crisis of 2008,” he said. “Forest landowners are very optimistic about the future, especially with the potential to market their timber to nontraditional markets. This gives landowners another potential buyer and could help increase raw material prices through competition.”
A European company, German Pellets, is about to start making fuel pellets at a new facility in Urania in LaSalle Parish. Eventually, it will use 2 million tons of wood material annually to make 1 million tons of pellets.
“It will be the world’s largest pellet-producing facility,” said Mike Kile, the company’s procurement forester.
The company has a plant in Woodville, Texas, that has been operating since 2013.
Kile said the process will use pine that must meet European sustainability requirements. The pellets will be used mainly in power plants in Europe that were coal-fired, he said. “There are plans to develop a local market, too.”
Another company, Cool Planet, is building a plant to make a carbon soil amendment from wood under the trade name CoolTerra. The company had planned to make gasoline from wood, but the biochar byproduct from that process has turned out to have more promise, especially with the low gasoline prices, according to Tim Palculict, Cool Planet site leader.
He said tests show the material is a boost to plant growth by holding soil moisture and nutrients.
Pine wood chips and waste material can be used for the process, he said. “Louisiana has enough wood to support seven to 10 of these plants.”
Wade Dubea, LDAF state forester, said state budget cuts have had a drastic effect on his department. Half the firefighting force has been eliminated, leaving only 153 personnel, he said, and the state’s tree seedling nursery will cease to exist. Dubea said the department’s budget of $24.5 million has been slashed to $14.8 million.
LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain said that amount is inadequate to protect the forestry resource that generates $111 million in annual tax revenue from 14 million acres of timber.
Strain urged contacting legislators to let them know that pending state budget cuts in the wake of a $1.6 billion deficit will only hurt forestry and agriculture more. “Tell your legislators the importance of forestry to Louisiana.”
He said every dollar spent by the LSU AgCenter returns $32 to the state economy.
Buck Vandersteen, executive director of the Louisiana Forestry Association, said the LSU AgCenter and other universities face damaging cuts that could negatively affect the state’s timber industry. “If we lose the money to higher education being proposed, we won’t have these programs.”
Vandersteen also cautioned foresters to follow guidelines and safety rules to prevent problems with accidents and environmental regulatory action. “Do everything with the knowledge that somebody is looking over your shoulder.”
Brian Thompson, of the Central Louisiana Technical Community College at Oakdale, said the forest technology curriculum there provides training that upon completion enables a student to become employed in the timber industry.
Vandersteen praised the community college program as an option for young adults. “Every student that graduates has a job.”
Bruce Schultz