Emerald Ash Borer menace bearing down on us

This devastating pest is a menace to our native ash trees. In past years, the pest has been encroaching eastward , last reported as far now as the Catskills. If you have a concern , we birders can be of help. Here below is an email I received plus a link  attachment for the survey

www.NYimapinvasives.org

Subject: Woodpecker damage survey for EAB with iMap

Here is information if you would like to sign up to monitor woodpecker damage 
that the birds do when feeding on Emeral Ash Borer.  Most of our ash is on 
western Long Island and New York City. 

Steve
 
Steve Young
Coordinator, Long Island Invasive Species Management Area (LIISMA) Chief 
Botanist NY Natural Heritage Program
625 Broadway, 5th Floor
Albany, NY 12233-4757

518-402-8951
518-402-8925 FAX
smyoung@gw.dec.state.ny.us
websites: www.nynhp.org
               www.liisma.org

The New York Natural Heritage Program is a partnership between the New York 
State Department of Environmental Conservation and the State University of New 
York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

For more information on EAB and ash tree identification, go to: www.NYIS.info

http://imapinvasives.org/nyimi/report_invasives/

all birders: Report woodpecker damage due to Emerald Ash Borer
www.NYimapinvasives.org

Questions? Contact:imapinvasives@nynhp.org

Supported by the New York State Environmental Protection Fundthrough a contract with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
iMapInvasives is the NYS Invasive Species Database. Become trained to report invasive species and the signs of emerald ash borer:
1.
Request a Login at www.NYimapinvasives.org
2.
Take the online iMapObservation training
3.
Tell us to add you to the "Woodpecker Project"
4.
Look for signs of woodpecker damage on ash trees
•
See other page for descriptions
5.
Take photos of the damage, bark, and crown
6.
Log into iMapto submit your observation for expert revie

Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers eat EAB larvae and leave distinctive marks on ash trees. Here are some tips to spot woodpecker damage due to EAB:
Woodpecker damage and EAB
Report sightings to iMapInvasivesIf you see woodpecker damage on an ash tree,include these 3 photos in your report:
1.
Close up of the woodpecker damage
2.
Crown of the tree
3.
Overview of the bark/trunk (to help with tree ID)
Hairy woodpecker. Bugwood.org
•
Is the wood pecker damage on an ash tree?
•
Are there freshpatches of bark that have been flaked off with a shallow holein the middle?
•
Are the woodpecksrandomly dispersed or in large patches on the tree?
EAB woodpecker foragingMark Whitmore, Cornell University

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a small green invasive beetle. EAB larvae live under the bark of ash trees and eat the transportivetissue inside the tree, cutting off the flow of water and nutrients and killing the tree.