The next 'semester' of Emerald Ash Borer University (EABU) kicks off today, February 3, 2022. As always, these sessions are recorded and available on the EABU YouTube Channel at: http://www.emeraldashborer.info/eabu.php
2022 Spring Webinar Series
February 24th, 2022, 11:00 AM ET
The Biology and Management of the Invasive Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)
Holly Shugart, PhD. Postdoctoral Scholar, Pennsylvania State University
The biology of the invasive spotted lanternfly poses a uniquely challenging threat to many agricultural crops, ornamentals, and, to a lesser extent, forests. Spotted lanternflies are highly polyphagous, can inhabit a wide climatic range, and thus have the potential to become established in many regions of the United States. Additionally, SLF females often lay their eggs on personal vehicles, commercial trucks, train cars, and many other items, all of which increase the probability that SLF may be accidentally moved into new habitat ranges. Successful management incorporate an integrative approach including: a community education & reporting system, selected insecticide applications by state and federal agencies, and education, training, and permitting of commercial and business operations moving in and out of quarantine zones. The complex biology of this adaptable insect pest requires a multi-disciplinary approach and there is much still to learn about SLF biology.
March 1st, 2022, 11:00 AM ET
Firewood Rules, Certifications, and Recommendations Across the USA
Leigh Greenwood, Forest Health Program Director, North America Region, The Nature Conservancy
The federal deregulation of emerald ash borer in January 2021 was widely expected to lead to many changes in the regulatory environment around firewood in the USA. This webinar will highlight the release of a new report written by staff of The Nature Conservancy’s Don’t Move Firewood campaign, covering what regulations and recommendations are in place a year after the EAB deregulation was finalized. We will describe how the current regulatory environments applying to the inter- and intra-state movement of firewood vary greatly in type and prevalence across the United States. The dynamic situation of many forest pests, coupled with the different challenges faced by the state agencies’ statutory authorities and priorities, forest conditions, and unique geographies, have all combined to create a complex regulatory mosaic- and as a result, a very challenging outreach environment.
March 3rd, 2022, 11:00 AM ET
The Worst Kind of Snowbird: the Invasive of Asian Longhorned Beetle in South Carolina
David Coyle, Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist, Clemson University
The Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (ALB), was found in South Carolina in May 2020, which now represents the southernmost infestation in North America. Eradication efforts are underway, but several challenges persist due to the novel climate and environment in which ALB has established. This talk will provide a refresher on ALB biology and identification, as well as established and potential eradication methods being used in South Carolina. We will discuss how ALB likely arrived in the Deep South, and also why the threat of more ALB movement and new infestations is unlikely to cease.
March 31st, 2022, 11:00 AM ET
Tree of Heaven: Management and Identification
Lenny Farlee, Extension Forester, Purdue University
May 5th, 2022. 11:00 AM ET
Forest Pest Damage from the Carbon Sequestration Perspective
Leigh Greenwood, Forest Health Program Director, North America Region, The Nature Conservancy
Both native and non-native forest insects and diseases across the contiguous United States are reducing the ability of the nation’s forests to capture and store carbon dioxide. This webinar will describe a study published in Fall 2021 in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change that calculated forests damaged by insects sequestered 69% less carbon than undamaged forests, while those affected by disease sequestered 28% less carbon. The webinar will briefly cover the overarching findings of the study, and then go into depth on what it means from the invasive forest pest perspective- including how to bring this issue to light when discussing prevention and management of forest pests, and what improvements to current actions could further mitigate these sequestration losses.
May 26th, 2022, 11:00 AM ET
Breeding for EAB-Resistance: What Does the Future Look like for Ash?
Jennifer Koch, Research Biologist, US Forest Service
EAB threatens the survival of ash trees in the U.S. where it is a common hardwood species especially in riparian and wetland forests. Ash was also used extensively for soil conservation (including wind breaks) and in urban green spaces and streets. Surviving, or “lingering”, ash trees that had maintained healthy canopies for at least two years after all other large ash trees had died were identified in natural forests long-infested by EAB. EAB egg bioassay experiments confirmed that these trees have an increased level of resistance due to defense responses, including death of early instar larvae, larvae with significantly lower weights, or leaves less preferred for feeding by EAB adults. This webinar discusses research now being done to further understand this phenomenon and other findings to develop tree-improvement programs that could be successful in producing EAB resistant seed. Longer term goals include combining the best performing progeny from many families into a second generation seed orchard, so that the seed produced may be used for restoration plantings.
EABU is a program supported by the United States Department of Agriculture's Foresty Service involving Michigan State University, Purdue University and Ohio State University allowing viewers to participat for free. Individuals must register for each session of interest on the Regional Emerald Ash Borer website at: http://www.emeraldashborer.info/eabu.php