Senator Schumer seeks funds to combat ash borer

MILLBROOK — The bright green emerald ash borer is moving east. It chewed its way into New York state in 2009.

On Tuesday, Aug. 10, Sen. Charles Schumer held a press conference in the shade of a stately white ash tree on the grounds of the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Farm and Home Center to announce his request for emergency federal resources to combat these destructive alien beetles that destroy ash trees.

Schumer wants $1.25 million allocated to slow the spread of the  insects and fund public education, scientific research, municipal planning and tree replacement.

“Our trees are among the most beautiful and coveted things we have,� Schumer said. “They add recreation and economic value to our state. The emerald ash borer, if we do nothing, could cost $2.4 billion in damages and $10.7 billion in treatment.�

The emerald ash borer is a beetle native to Asia that was first detected in Michigan in 2002 and has wiped out the ash tree  in that state. On Tuesday, July 20, the insect was identified at a private campground in Saugerties, but so far there are no confirmed sightings of the insect east of the Hudson River.

Speaking at the Millbrook event, Stephanie Mallozzi, Cornell Agriculture and Horticulture team leader, suggested that homeowners check their property to inventory the presence of ash trees. Discussing the problem later, Mallozzi estimated that 8 percent of New York’s forests are ash trees, and that it is really just a matter of time until the pests arrive in Dutchess County.

The insect kills trees by burrowing into their bark and destroying the trees’ ability to bring water from the roots to upper branches. Infected trees usually begin to die within two to three years. This deadly pest has already destroyed more than 70 million ash trees in 13 Midwestern states and Pennsylvania.

It is estimated that ashes account for more than 10 percent of total wood manufacturing in New York state, not to mention this native plant’s contribution to New York’s ecosystem.

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