As time progresses after an invasive species is detected, control costs increase and eradication
becomes less likely.
What can communities do to prepare for invasive forest insects and diseases?
We are recommending that time be spend now
to develop and implement an invasive species management strategy
before the pests are introduced and established in your community.
Having this strategy in place before the introduction of an invasive species can reduce the community’s
financial costs to manage invasive pests; reduce losses to the community’s tree canopy;
and reduce the harm, that is the result of tree loss, to people, property, the economy
and the environment.
In implementing an invasive species management strategy, there is a better chance to maintain
a community’s forest health, safety and benefits as well as maintain and enhance community
confidence in your elected officials, city staff and programs.
There are recommended steps a community can take when developing their strategy.
I will spend the rest of my time with you briefly going through each of them.
Please adapt the following to what works best in your community.
One of the first steps to take is to familiarize yourself and your staff with invasive species.
Receive training on what invasive species are, what they look like, what signs & symptoms
to watch for, and what the effected trees look like.
The Oregon Forest Pest Detector website is a great place to start this training.
Form an invasive species management team.
Assemble a team of individuals that can contribute to preparing for invasive species,
and ideally can also assist with response and recovery.
This could include individuals from state and federal agencies, various city departments,
the city tree board, and companies that contract tree services and pesticide applications.
Whomever has been designated as your community’s tree care manager
should coordinate and lead the team.
Communities that do not have a forester or arborist on staff should designate an existing
staff member as the tree care manager, or hire a consulting forester or arborist to
fill this role.
The designated tree care manager preferably will have technical expertise, field experience
and knowledge in community forest management, tree risk management
and assessment, tree maintenance standards
and best management practices,
and ideally should be an ISA Certified Arborist.
Inform your mayor and other local decision makers about the threat.
City leaders need to understand the threat and the importance of thorough preparation.
They will appreciate hearing about it, before there is any crisis!
Consider beginning the conversation by showing them one of the short videos that are available
on the OR Forest Pest Detector website or even the documentary film,
Trees in Trouble: Saving America’s Urban Forests.
Review the city’s tree ordinance.
A tree ordinance is a tool to help protect and manage a community’s trees.
It can be designed to regulate various aspects of tree planting, removal, and maintenance
on public and private property within a municipality.
Communities will want to review their tree ordinance to ensure it states what authority
the city has regarding diseased or infested trees on private property as well as who is
responsible for their treatment or removal.
All property owners should be informed of their duty to treat or remove nuisance trees,
as well as what the city may do if they fail to act.
Communities will have to determine a trigger point at which infested trees must be removed
and the wood properly disposed.
This is important because trees on private property can become a public safety hazard.
You may find that the ordinance contains language specific to Dutch elm disease
or has nuisance provisions.
It is best if it is written broadly enough, so you don’t have to revise your ordinance
every time a significant new pest comes along.
Diseases such as Thousand Cankers Disease and insects such as emerald ash borer know
no boundaries and can decimate a city’s urban forest if prompt action is not taken.
Determine your risk.
Conducting a tree inventory is an important first step in invasive species response planning.
To estimate the local impact and to develop an invasive species management strategy,
you need to know how many trees you have, what species they are, where they're at,
how big they are, and what condition they are in.
If you have a current tree inventory, use it to list and locate effected trees.
If your community does not have a tree inventory, a rapid assessment of public and possibly
private property can be done to estimate the number and location of effected trees.
One way to do a rapid assessment,
or sometimes it's called a windshield assessment,
is to utilize Google Streetview
to tally the number of street trees and the number of the specific tree species, such
as ash, you are assessing.
With this data, you can quickly determine the approximate number of community street
trees and the % of these that are the tree species of concern.
Emerald ash borer has had a devastating effect on tree canopies in many towns
The map shown here is of the Town of Oakville in Ontario Canada.
Emerald Ash Borer has had a devastating effect on their tree canopy.
The town is treating a portion of the public ash tree’s on streets and in parks to protect
against the invasive insect’s damaging effects,
and is removing dead and dying ash trees and
replacing them with different species.
The colored dots show where city-owned street and park trees exist, where trees are scheduled
for removal, where trees have been removed, or is a site where a tree will be planted.
There are also colored dots to show where treated trees, both private and public, are located.
Determine your management strategy and estimate costs.
Use your inventory data and cost/benefit analysis to make treatment, removal & replacement decisions.
EAB Cost calculator allows users to enter tree inventory data,
compare local costs of treatment options or tree removal and print reports.
These reports can be used to communicate cost information
to your local elected officials and other decision makers.
The goal is to keep the rate of mortality low by holding the pest population at low levels.
The most cost effective and environmentally sound approach is an integrated strategy that
combines monitoring trees for the early presence of a pest;
removing and replacing unhealthy
trees before they die; treating high-value trees with the proper use of insecticides;
and planting different species of trees nearby in an effort to get them established before
the arrival of a pest.
Specific to EAB, current science supports conservation via treatment as a sensible and
effective tool for managing healthy ash trees in urban settings.
In many cases, tree conservation via treatment is economically and environmentally superior
to tree removal.
Consider planting vacant sites to partially offset tree canopy loss in the future.
New trees will have more time to grow and start providing benefits.
But carefully choose the tree species to plant!
Don’t set the stage for another catastrophic loss by planting too many of any one kind of tree!
There is a rule of thumb,
and it's to have no more than 2% of a species, and 5% of a genus.
As with any investment, manage risk by diversifying.
Develop a new tree species list, including connecting with nurseries to see what is available.
As for EAB, if your inventory data reports a large percentage of the city’s trees are
ash, the city may want to stop the planting of Fraxinus sp. and consider removing any
young/small ash trees and replacing them with a different tree species.
Assess your budget.
If funds won’t cover treatment, removal, or replacement costs, begin seeking budget
increases, alternative funding mechanisms and/or also partnerships.
Remember, as mentioned briefly in the previous slide, urban ash conservation can be less
costly than removal, especially when the significant environmental and economic benefits of established
trees are considered.
Also, ash conservation can reduce environmental impacts caused by extensive deforestation
of the urban landscape, as well as the documented public safety risks associated with standing
dead ash trees and their removal.
Make a public awareness plan.
This includes a list of media contacts, messages, and strategies.
An example message to residents might be: Invasive species are not in charge!
Your city is taking a proactive response to pests, reducing losses
and making tax dollars go further!
Another message could be: Transporting firewood can potentially lead to new infestations of
invasive insects and diseases.
Do not move firewood.
Buy firewood where you burn it.
The Neighbors Against Bad Bugs website (listed on the emerald ash borer website)
has some great ideas on strategies.
For example, tag city-owned ash trees for residents and decision makers
so they can see the trees that will be impacted by EAB.
Determine how to manage wood residue, before a pest is introduced and trees start dying!
Make decisions regarding contract management, staff training, and scheduling equipment rental
or purchase and equipment maintenance, as well as wood and brush storage, utilization or disposal.
Mapping the location of wood residue processing/staging
sites and investigating wood utilization options
are important for invasive species preparedness and response.
Also, become familiar with regulations on wood residue as quarantines may restrict its movement.
Remember, a community needs to be prepared to act quickly due to wood being infested
(this is not just your typical winter storm debris issue!).
Once an invasive species becomes established, tree mortality across the community may occur
at the same time!
And an infestation of these pests can produces a lot of wood residue.
Pre-select qualified tree care companies.
Develop working relationships with companies now.
The best time to arrange contracts for tree pruning and removal is before any emergency
situation occurs, not just invasive species infestations!
All communities should be prepared to manage any disease or invasive insect that threatens
their urban forest resource.
The reality is that once a pest like emerald ash borer is established, Oregon communities
will quite possibly have to deal with tough economic, environmental, legal and social decisions.
Planning in advance allows your community to be better prepared to minimize the severity
of these impacts and establish a solid foundation for recovery.
Thanks for listening!