COLUMBIA — The Missouri Department of Conservation will reimburse the city of Columbia 90% of the cost to remove 20 dead ash trees at Albert-Oakland Park, which died of infestation by the emerald ash borer.
The emerald ash borer is an invasive beetle that entered Missouri from Northeast Asia in 2008. The pest entered by way of wood crates and pallets. Ever since then, the insect has invaded several counties throughout Missouri and is destroying large numbers of ash trees.
Robbie Doerhoff, forest health program coordinator with the Department of Conservation, said that it isn’t surprising that the emerald ash borer has gotten out of control in Missouri.
“Emerald ash borer has been in Columbia for several years now, so it isn’t surprising that these ash are dead and needed removed,” Doerhoff said. “Ash trees killed by EAB are extremely brittle and need removed promptly to prevent hazards to people and property.”
Once the larvae hatch, they create winding cavities inside of the ash tree, which causes the tree to lose oxygen and nutrients. The tree than can die at any given moment, which makes this invasion much more dangerous for parkgoers.
The larvae of the emerald ash borer create winding cavities under the bark of ash trees, causing the tree to lose oxygen and nutrients — and ultimately die.
Parker Knight, KOMU 8 Reporter
Infected ash trees that are located around shelters, facilities and playgrounds throughout Albert-Oakland Park will be cut down first due to the high risk of falling on park users.
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“it’s not the green beetle that is the problem, it’s the larva that causes all the issues,” Doerhoff said. “The larvae actually bore under the bark of the tree and they cause massive damage to the vascular layers … so the part of the tree that is moving the food and the water and keeping that tree alive … that’s the part they are feeding on and causing damage to.”
The emerald ash borer can affect all ash trees.
Once an ash tree is infected by the emerald ash borer, it is expected to die within three to five years.
For every ash tree that is cut down, the Missouri Department of Conservation and Albert-Oakland Park will plant two native trees. This process slows down the spread of emerald ash borer by completely removing ash trees from the park so the invasion does not continue to spread.
Columbia Natural Resource Supervisor Dave Dittmer said the Missouri Department of Conservation wants to add a variety of trees to to Albert-Oakland Park.
“One thing we want to focus on is diversity,” Dittmer said. “We will be bringing back several different species of native oak, more hackberry. There’s probably about 10 or 15 different varieties we are planting.”