Asian Longhorned Beetle in Ohio

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announce that surveys are under way in Bethel, Ohio, after the detection and identification of the Asian longhorned beetle. Bethel is located 30 miles southeast of Cincinnati.

First discovered in the United States in 1996, Asian longhorned beetles attack several species of trees including maple, willow, horsechestnut, buckeye and American elm. While in its larvae stage, the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) kills trees by tunneling into large branches and the trunk.
Ohio is the fourth state to detect ALB, which APHIS confirmed in Bethel after a citizen reported finding unusual damage in three maple trees to an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry service forester. Previous infestations sites, where the beetles are being successfully contained, include Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
APHIS and ODA inspection crews are surveying the southern portion of Bethel and the surrounding area to determine the extent of the ALB infestation. Crews will inspect host tree species susceptible to ALB for signs of the wood-boring beetle using ground surveyors and specially trained tree climbers.
APHIS and the ODA are working cooperatively with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the USDA Forest Service, and the town of Bethel to evaluate the scope of the infestation and to inform the public about the exotic, invasive pest.
Adult ALB are usually large, distinctive-looking insects measuring 1- to 1-1/2 inches long, not including antennae. Their white-banded antennae can be as long as the body itself in females and almost twice the body length in males.

Signs of infestation include perfectly round exit holes (about 3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter) made by adult beetles when they emerge from trees; the pockmarks on tree trunks and branches where female beetles deposit eggs; frass (wood shavings and saw dust) produced by larvae feeding and tunneling; early fall coloration of leaves or dead branches, and running sap produced by the tree at the egg laying sites, or in response to larval tunneling.

If you believe you have seen this beetle or evidence of its damage in Pennsylvania please call your local Penn State Extension Office, Bureau of Forestry Office or Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.



Pennsylvania 4-H Forestry Field Day Results

Beautiful sunny weather graced this year’s 4-H Forestry Field Day held at Laurel Haven Conservation Education Center in Julian, PA on May 7, 2011. The event consisted of two tracks. The junior (non-competitive) track taught younger 4-H members basic skills relating to forestry; while the senior track was a competitive event where “4-H foresters” from across the state demonstrated their knowledge and forestry skills.
The top five winners in the senior track included Nichele Olson, Sam Mc Gaughran, Jesse Isenberg, and Garrett Richardson from Indiana County, and Darton Harwick from Tioga County. Four of these youth will represent Pennsylvania at the 2011 National 4-H Forestry Invitational held in late July at Jackson’s Mill 4-H Conference Center, Weston, WV. Participants in both the state and national program demonstrate their skills in tree measurement, tree identification, forest health (insect and disease identification), compass use, topographic map reading, and applied forestry principles.
The junior track enjoyed learning tree id skills, compass techniques, and reading forest history signs. They also enjoyed a demonstration by the Penn State Woodman’s Team!
Extension Forestry Educator David Jackson of Centre County, and Sanford Smith, Extension Specialist, in Penn State’s School of Forest Resources, organized this year’s event. Also assisting were 4-H volunteers Chad Barclay and Ashlee Earley. Barclay and Earley are past state 4-H Forestry winners. They are also currently a forestry student at Penn State and a forester for the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry respectively. This year’s Forestry Field Day received strong sponsorship from Pine Creek Lumber, Mill Hall, PA (a division of Bingaman Lumber), Pennsylvania Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and Domtar (Paper Mill), Johnsonburg, PA
For more information, contact Smith at sss5@psu.edu or Jackson at drj11@psu.edu.

- Submitted by Dr. Sanford Smith, Extension Specialist, Natural Resources and Youth Education (sss5@psu.edu)

Wildfires: Not in My Backyard!

Many people are unaware of the potential wildfire risk that exists in their local community. In the coming years invasive insects and disease are expected to attack and kill oak, hemlock, and ash trees, which can lead to increased wildfire risk as dead trees and branches build up in wooded areas. The expansion of communities into natural areas adds to the risk of fires spreading from homes to neighboring forested areas or forest fires endangering people and their homes (which is when they most often make headlines). News reports of intense Western wildfires only add to the confusion and misperceptions about Eastern wildfires.


A new publication in the popular From the Woods youth series, Wildfire, seeks to educate people about wildfires and controlled burns in the Eastern United States. The four-page booklet discusses the differences between Eastern and Western wildfires; including the time of year they are mostly likely to occur, types of wildfire, and causes. For example, lightning is a common cause of wildfires in western states but accounts for only one percent of fires in Pennsylvania. The majority of Eastern wildfires are caused by humans, with debris burning and arson as the leading culprits.

From the Woods: Wildfire's release coincides with Pennsylvania's peak wildfire season. During the spring and the fall when the leaves are off the trees, the sun and wind dries leaves, twigs, and branches on the forest floor. It is one of two times that humidity within the forest gets low enough to cause us to lose our "asbestos" forest. Spring is the time when many of us go outside to clear brush, leaves, and debris from the yard. Some may wait for a sunny, dry, breezy day to burn the debris. Unfortunately, those are the worst days to burn debris since the flames can quickly spread to dry grass or nearby wooded areas. Homeowners must use extra caution when burning debris to prevent spread and protect their properties. The publication reviews simple steps you can take to protect your home from wildfire risk, not only from your own actions, but also should a larger wildfire occur.

An important thing to remember is that not all fires are harmful. Trained professionals conduct controlled burns as a tool to restore native landscapes and manage vegetation. Some trees need or benefit from wildfires, for example, oaks have been shown to respond favorably after fires. Purposefully set, managed, controlled burns are a tool of forest management. The publication gives an overview of their use.

This publication is available from the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Publications Distribution Center. Contact them at 814-865-6713, or the booklet can be downloaded for free at http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uh191.pdf.

Ninety-eight percent of wildfires are caused by humans. Doing your part to understand and prevent wildfires is essential to reducing the risk of damage to your home. Additional information on wildfire prevention, safe debris burning, and alternatives to debris burning are available through your local Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry office. To find your local Bureau of Forestry office visit http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/serviceforesters_select.aspx.

The Pennsylvania Forest Stewardship Program provides publications on a variety of topics related to woodland management. For a list of free publications, call 800 234 9473 (toll free), send an email to RNRext@psu.edu, or write to Forest Stewardship Program, Forest Resources Extension, The Pennsylvania State University, 416 Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802. The Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry and USDA Forest Service, in Partnership with Penn State's Forest Resource Extension, sponsor the Forest Stewardship Program in Pennsylvania.

Written by: Laurie Schoonhoven

State Lifts Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine

Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture today announced that the state Emerald Ash Borer quarantine restricting the in-state movement of ash materials and all hardwood firewood will be lifted April 15. However, a federal quarantine remains in effect.

The Emerald Ash Borer is a highly invasive, wood-boring beetle that kills ash trees and poses a threat to the state’s $25 billion hardwoods industry.

“Lifting our quarantine will allow free movement on Emerald Ash Borer-regulated materials within Pennsylvania,” said acting Agriculture Secretary George Greig. “As Emerald Ash Borer has moved rapidly across the state, the in-state quarantine restrictions no longer serve a productive purpose.”

Because of the beetle’s aggressive movement across Pennsylvania, the in-state quarantine – initially intended to slow the pest’s spread – is now unnecessary.

Since 2007, when the Emerald Ash Borer was first observed in Butler County, the pest has been found in 17 additional counties, including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Centre, Clarion, Cumberland, Fulton, Indiana, Juniata, Lawrence, Mercer, Mifflin, Somerset, Union, Washington and Westmoreland.

The state quarantine includes the counties where the beetle was found in addition to the contiguous counties, for a total of 43.

A parallel federal quarantine, also established in 2007, will remain effective in Pennsylvania to help stop the spread into other states. International and federal interstate restrictions will apply to exporting Emerald Ash Borer-regulated materials from Pennsylvania to non-quarantined domestic areas and regulating countries.

Greig added that Pennsylvania remains committed to finding ways to control the beetle, which in turn will protect the state’s important hardwoods industry.

The quarantine initially restricted the movement of ash nursery stock, green lumber, and any other ash material, including logs, stumps, roots and branches, from the quarantine area. Because it is difficult to distinguish between species of hardwood firewood, all hardwood firewood—including ash, oak, maple and hickory—was quarantined.

The Emerald Ash Borer is native to China and eastern Asia. The pest likely arrived in North America in wooden shipping crates. It was first detected in July 2002 in southeastern Michigan and neighboring Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

In addition to Pennsylvania, the beetle is attacking ash trees in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Typically, the Emerald Ash Borer beetles will kill an ash tree within three years of the initial infestation. Adults are dark green, one-half inch in length and one-eighth inch wide, and fly only from early May until September. Larvae spend the rest of the year beneath the bark of ash trees. When they emerge as adults, they leave D-shaped holes in the bark about one-eighth inch wide.

For more information about the quarantine, contact Walt Blosser at 717-772-5205, and for more information about Emerald Ash Borer, contact Sven-Erik Spichiger at 717-772-5229.

Values of Pennsylvania Forests

A new short presentation is available to view on the Bradford County Extension Forestry website. The presentation will give you a broad overview of the many benefits provided by Pennsylvania woodlands. Go to http://bradford.extension.psu.edu/NResources/forestry.html and scroll down to "Upcoming Programs". From there click on the Forest Value$ icon. Wait a few seconds for the presentation to load. It should start automatically. Comments would be appreciated. You can send them to my email at rsh7@psu.edu.

Woodland Owner Conference Registration Now Open

Registration for the 2011 Woodland Owners Conference at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport is now open. We are trying something new this year. Hopefully it will be advantageous for you. The new system will allow you to register online using a credit card, by phone using a credit card or filling out a form and sending in a check. To register on line go to: http://guest.cvent.com/d/mdqt94 and follow the step by step instructions. You can also register by calling toll-free 1-877-489-1398 or by mail at:

Woodland Owners Conference

Attn: Registration

Penn State Cooperative Extension

323 Ag. Administration Bldg.

University Park, PA 16802

Make checks payable to Penn State Cooperative Extension. Price for the conference is $30 per person or $50 per couple from the same property if registered by February 25.
Conference brochures will go out by email and regular mail soon. If you have never received a brochure and would like one you can contact me at rsh7@psu.edu and we will send you an electronic version. You may also call the Bradford County Extension office at (570) 265-2896 and we can send you a copy by regular mail. Hope to see you there!

Woodland Owners Conference 2011

The 2011 Woodland Owners Conference will be held Saturday, March 5 in Penn’s Inn, Bush Student Center on the campus of the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport. The tentative agenda for the conference is:

9:00 – 9:15 Welcome/ Information

9:15 – 10:00 “Cost Share Programs Available for Woodland Owners”, Andy Duncan, PA DCNR, Bureau of Forestry

10:00 – 10:15 Break

10:15 – 11:15 “Regenerating Penn's Woods”, David Jackson, Penn State Cooperative Extension, Centre County

11:15 – 11:30 Break

11:30 – 12:15 “Drill Pad/Pipeline Revegetation Options for Landowners”, TBA

12:15 – 1:15 Lunch

1:15 – 1:30 WOA updates/Jack Murray Award

1:30 – 2:30 “Dealing with Emerald Ash Borer Threats to Woodlands and Communities”, Amy Stone and Kathy Smith, Ohio State University Extension

2:30 – 3:15 “Woodland Beneficial Insects and Pest Outlook 2011”, Tim Marasco, PA DCNR, Bureau of Forestry

3:15 – 3:30 Closing Remarks/Evaluations/Dismiss

The cost for this year’s conference is again $30/person or $25 each for a couple from the same property. Registration will be different this year. It will be online through CVENT. Registering through CVENT will allow you the additional option of paying by credit card. If you don't have internet access you will still be able to register by phone or send in your registration and your check.  Further registration details will be included in your brochure or in the instructions you will receive by email. Registrations will be due Friday, February 25. Registrations after this date will be assessed a $5 late fee and the couple discount will no longer be in effect. If you have any questions about the conference, please contact me at rsh7@psu.edu, 570-265-2896, or 570-724-9120.