COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The deadly emerald ash borer (EAB), which kills native ash trees, has spread south into Kentucky.
Take steps now, says an Ohio State University forestry expert, whose own state is completely quarantined due to the pest, and you stand a chance at reducing its wallop.
“A landowner needs to determine first what their risk of infestation is by knowing what percentage of their stand is ash,” said Kathy Smith, Ohio State University Extension’s forestry program director.
Next, she said, is to match the goals and objectives you have for the woodland with the available management options -- from doing nothing to heavy removal cuts.
“The more proactive a landowner is,” Smith said, “the less impact EAB will likely have on their woodland.”
She’ll speak on the subject at the Ohio River Valley Woodland and Wildlife Workshop, set for March 26 in Carrollton, Ky., midway between Cincinnati and Louisville. Her talk, called “Minimizing the Impact of EAB on Your Woodland,” gives an in-depth look at management options.
“Kentucky has been finding EAB in a number of counties,” she said. “(EAB) definitely continues to be on the move.”
(See a map of the pest’s spread at http://go.osu.edu/CAP.)
Aimed at Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana woodland owners, the workshop features speakers from the hosts -- Purdue, Kentucky and Ohio State universities -- plus Kentucky State University and the Kentucky Natural Resources Conservation Service. There will be 17 sessions on topics ranging from identifying trees to enhancing wildlife habitat, from controlling invasive plants to building ponds.
Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at General Butler State Park, 1608 Old Highway 227, Carrollton, KY.
Get the full list of topics plus hours, directions and registration details at http://www.tristatewoods.org/. Registration costs $40. Online registration is available at the website.
For more information, call 859-257-7597 or email forestry.extension@uky.edu.
OSU Extension, Purdue Extension, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, the Kentucky Division of Forestry, and the Indiana Division of Forestry are the sponsors.
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