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Friday, 08 August 2008 |
Inventories, equipment aimed at helping Wapak combat infestation
By WILLIAM LANEY
Managing Editor
City efforts continue to fight a possible infestation of the emerald ash borer in Wapakoneta with an inventory of ash trees on private property and the ordering of new equipment.
Wapakoneta City Tree Commission President Scott Risner addressed the city’s efforts to combat the infestation, which was first identified in August 2005 and is infesting trees today on the eastern edge of the city, while discussing the Tree Commission’s goals for 2008.
“Our ultimate goal is to eventually be able to help property owners combat the infestation at a minimal cost after we have taken care of the emerald ash borer infestation of ash trees on city property,” Risner said after Thursday’s commission meeting. “We ordered the equipment from ArborJet, and company officials plan to send people here to train us in the application of the insecticide.”
Wapakoneta City Council members approved spending approximately $7,000 to purchase equipment from ArborJet to inject the ash trees with an insecticide to combat the insect originating in Asia.
The signs of an infestation include D-shaped emergence holes through the bark, serpentine, or S-shaped, galleries tunneled just under the layer of bark and legless and flattened heavily segmented, white to cream-colored larvae.
For the city’s expenditure, ArborJet representatives plan to train city workers and to inject the trees with the insecticide the first time. The application of the insecticide should take approximately two weeks and should be effective for two years.
“They also plan to adopt the large ash trees near the Wapakoneta WaterPark and treat those trees and take care of them,” Risner said. “If the city proves to be a big success for the company, then I believe it will change a lot of minds on how to approach the emerald ash borer problem.”
Risner said the reason for the request to purchase the equipment is more diverse than just for injecting the insecticide into ash trees but to help with other problems afflicting trees.
“This equipment is also good to treat iron chlorosis, bagworm, Japanese beetle, gypsum moth, and other insects as well as other types of problems,” Risner said. “This equipment was not just bought for the ash problem but for a multi-purpose tool for the care of street trees.”
While members of the Tree Commission and Teen Green, a student group working with the commission, have inventoried ash trees on city property, Tree Commission members are working with residents on inventorying ash trees on private property.
“The response to the ash tree inventory on private property has been very successful, but if residents have not sent in their letter saying how many ash trees they have on their property or if they need help identifying possible ash trees on their property then they need to do so,” Tree Commission Secretary Celia Risner said. “It is a big help in determining how the city and private citizens can combat the infestation.”
Helping city residents with a possible emerald ash borer problem is a goal of the commission.
“Once we have the city trees treated and taken care of then we hope we will be able to assist private citizens with the treatment of their ash trees at an economical cost,” Scott Risner said. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 08 August 2008 )
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