STEVENSVILLE – A small shiny green beetle is decimating ash trees nationwide and this invasive species, known as the Emerald Ash Borer, is now in Queen Anne’s County.
County Parks crews will be removing, quarantining, and then burning the ash trees at county parks. Trees other than ash do not attract the Emerald Ash Borer and are therefore safe from the beetles.
Steve Chandlee, Director of Parks and Recreation and Chief of Parks Mike Watson, met with state experts recently and discussed a plan of action for removal of the trees. Standing in the tree lined parking lot of Old Love Point Park, it was easy to see at a glance which trees were ash trees because the tree tops are bare of leaves, due to the Emerald Ash Borer. What is not seen is the network of tunnels throughout the ash tree which weakens the limbs and poses a hazard to people and cars below, should they snap, which they frequently do.
“We have found a large concentration of the affected ash trees at Old Love Point Park, Route 18 Park and a few at Round Top Park,” said Watson.
With Fall sports leagues beginning soon, the parks crews will focus their plan of attack on removing the trees closest to playing fields first, Chandlee said. “People are going to be wondering why we are taking down all of these trees and we want them to understand the necessity,” he added. Replacement trees will be planted in late Fall or Spring.
According to the Maryland Extension website, the presence of the emerald ash borer typically goes undetected until trees show symptoms of being infested, usually the upper third of a tree will thin and then die back. This is usually followed by a large number of shoots or branches arising below the dead portions of the trunk. Other symptoms of infestation include small D-shaped exit holes in the bark where adults have emerged, vertical splits in the bark, and distinct serpentine-shaped tunnels beneath the bark in the cambium, where larvae effectively stop food and water movement in the tree, starving it to death. A great source for homeowners with ash trees is DNR’s publication A Homeowner’s Guide The Emerald Ash Borer.