Monitoring
“As more invasive species are introduced over time and existing invasive species spread in sometimes unpredictable ways, the eyes of the curious public become an ever-more valuable asset in our collective biosecurity toolkit…it is fueled by passionate, engaged people who direct their curiosity to observing the natural world.
You never know what you might find—and how important that might be to protecting the trees, forests, and the whole natural world around you!”
Symptoms and Signs of Emerald Ash Borer
Click HERE to download a form to carry with you while monitoring.
Click HERE to download a poster to share in your community.
Symptoms are observable tree stress responses. Symptoms may not always indicate the presence of EAB. Keep in mind the following:
Overall thinning of tree canopy. EAB activity mostly takes place in the higher parts of the ash tree canopy. Research supports noted changes of leaf colour from deep green to lighter coloured leaves and smaller leaf size. See gradual canopy thinning images below (source: Smitley et al., 2008).
Chlorosis/Yellowing of leaves.
Branch dieback/Dead or dying branches.
Cracks in branches or tree trunk.
Epicormic shoots/new, thin twigs growing at base of tree and/or midway up tree trunk.
Woodpecker activity. This looks like white/blonde patches of bark that been flecked off. Only nearby woodpecker habitat supports this symptom.
The damage to ash trees is a result of increasing larvae populations interfering more and more with the tree’s ability to circulate life-sustaining water and nutrients
Signs of pest activity and damage to plant health confirm the cause. Look for:
D-shaped insect exit holes in tree bark. They are roughly 1/8” in size. Note, there are other wood-boring insects that can cause exit holes in ash trees. Only the D-shape is specific to and characteristic of the Emerald Ash Borer beetle.
Adult insect presence on leaves or tree bark.
Egg masses found in the cracks and crevices of the tree bark. They are roughly 1 mm in size.
Municipal technicians will look for additional signs of EAB after collecting branch samples for further analysis in their labs. These include S-shaped, serpentine feeding galleries/tunnels, and larvae presence in inner bark tissues.
What to do if you find an Emerald Ash Borer beetle:
Call. If you reside in Edmonton, Calgary or Lethbridge call 311. Other centers please call 1-877-837-ELMS to immediately report your finding.
Capture. Place in a clean plastic bottle to avoid crushing. This makes it easier to identify. Be sure to record the exact location of the tree where it was found.
Contain. Place the container in the freezer. This will preserve the insect for closer inspection.
Do not peel or remove tree bark to look for EAB larvae or galleries. This will cause significant harm to the tree, invite infection, and ultimately result in tree death. City officials have authority to perform further field investigations for confirmation of EAB on public trees.
Monitoring can be as simple as walking your neighbourhood, identifying an ash tree, and looking for signs and symptoms of EAB on a regular basis. The best time to start is late May and continue into October.
Others may wish to map out a walking route where ash trees are found in their neighbourhood. The links below will take you to two online resources developed by the City of Edmonton and the City of Calgary that display a map of all trees inventoried by their respective Urban Forestry departments.
In Edmonton, this is the LINK and a few easy steps to follow:
1. Choose ‘Genus’ from the right side dropdown menu and click on ‘Fraxinus’. Then ‘Apply’.
2. Zoom in on the map to find your neighbourhood and street area you wish to monitor.
3. Zoom in closer to find the ‘Tree ID number’. This will be helpful for the city to correctly pinpoint the tree you are reporting for further inspection.
In Calgary, this is the LINK and a few easy steps to follow:
Zoom in to find your neighbourhood.
Ash trees, Fraxinus species are a lime green colour.
Collecting useful information is an important part of monitoring. Consider carrying a small notepad, pencil, camera, binoculars, and/or cellphone
