Emerald Ash Borer
Jane Caltrider
How is the Emerald Ash Borer harming the environment and biodiversity?
What affect does the Emerald Ash Borer have on the stability of the ecosystem here in Iowa? How do we know it is a problem? What evidence have you gathered to explain why this is a problem?
Trees that are infested by EAB can die within 2 years. Luckily, EAB can at most fly a couple miles which means that without the help of humans, their spread would be much slower.
If we stopped transporting infested timber, it would give us more time to come up with the best solution. Even though not being able to the ash tree as a source of timber would greatly impact the timber industry, we must cut off all transportation of EAB infested wood to other areas that have not yet been infested. (Which brings me to my first solution.)
First Solution
As my first solution, I believe that we should set up county and statewide quarantines until they have found a way to battle EAB. This means that only approved timber would be allowed to move into uninfested areas. I also think that it would be fine to transport infested material into already infested areas. Our best chance is to cut off the transporting of infested wood so we have enough time to come up with a better solution. If they weren't able to come up with a solution such as an injection , I think that the trees should be cut down. Cutting down infected trees would cost between $150-1,500 per tree.