Pennsylvania is the latest state that's facing the elimination of most of its ash trees. The emerald ash borer, first discovered in Michigan in 2002, has now marched on to western Pennsylvania after decimating over 20 million ash trees in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, parts of Canada, and Maryland.
The destructive beetle was discovered in late June in Cranberry Township, PA, by US Dept of Agriculture surveyors during a joint federal and state effort to determine how far the beetle has spread. A quarantine has now been imposed in Butler, Lawrence, Allegheny and Beaver countries. It restricts the movement of ash nursery stock, green lumber, and any other ash material and the movement of any kind of firewood. Shortly after the Pennsylvania discovery, US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced an additional $11.3 million in emergency funds for early detection programs and quarantine enforcement.
It's believed that the Asian beetles first arrived in this country in packing material from Asia, and it has no natural predators in the United States. If you see a bright green beetle on one of your ash trees, if the leaves start turning yellow before fall, or if you notice "D" shaped holes in the bark, notify your state's agricultural department or your local cooperative extension service immediately.
The emerald ash borer is also causing concern in the professional baseball world. Eighty percent of the "Louisville Slugger" brand bats are made from ash, and most of the wood comes from Pennsylvania. The company manufactures about 850,000 bats a year, and it supplies more than half of the bats used by major league players. While a few top sluggers, including Barry Bonds, prefer bats made of maple, others -- including Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter -- always use bats made of white ash.
If the scientists can't come up with a solution to stop the beetle, a lot of batters are going to be making a switch when it comes to hitting.
(image: USDA PLANTS Database)