Reports that , the ash tree-killing insect identified in Boulder County last year, has widened the menu of trees it can eat in Ohio, isn’t a concern for Colorado, those fighting the pest said.
The insect was confirmed in a few white fringe trees in Ohio recently. But that tree species isn’t native to Colorado and isn’t planted often here, said Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University entomology professor and one of the state’s front-line experts on the pest.
“Since this tree is not commonly used here, it’s much less of a concern for us,” said Laura Pottorff, manager for the state Department of Agriculture.
The concern that did crop up in a meeting of pest experts Thursday morning was the risk of , which, while could help to spread the pest within the currently quarantined area, Cranshaw said.
Education efforts around minimizing the movement of felled ash will be the likely strategy, he said.
With fall and colder temperatures, ash borers already in place in Colorado will have where they can be detected by . That technique, while slow and labor-intensive, has been the best way to find the bug in trees that aren’t yet showing symptoms.
Pottorff said peeling is underway or planned in Berthoud, Lafayette and Superior. “We’re looking at trees in highly stressed areas, trees that we believe would be the first to show an infestation.”
Botanically speaking, it’s not a huge leap for the borer to dine on white fringe trees, which are close relatives to ash. Other olive-family ash relatives that are planted in Colorado are forsythia, lilac and privet — but there are no reports of the insect attacking those plants in any other state in the U.S., Pottorff said.
“I don’t think anybody needs to freak out about it,” she said.
More about emerald ash borer:
• treating ash trees, and whom to e-mail or call if you think you’ve found it: eabcolorado.com
• Find out about at stopthebeetle.info
• Traveling, hunting or camping? Read about in all 50 states: dontmovefirewood.org
Susan Clotfelter: 303-954-1078, sclotfelter@denverpost.com or twitter.com/susandigsin
