What We Are Doing

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship works in cooperation with several partners to better educate the public and to detect the Emerald Ash Borer. The following are the highlights of the detection season thus far.

2010 Purple Trap Survey

(Click on pictures to get a larger view.)

The purple trap survey has once again been conducted this season to detect the presence of EAB.

Approximately 1,846 purple traps were in place by June 1, 2010. This was a three fold increase from 2009. The traps remained in place through the month of August, after which they were collected and evaluated.

Ten Counties along the Mississippi River have been trapped in a 1.5 mile grid pattern (1,518 traps). An additional 328 traps have been placed in special sites such as parks, campgrounds, and sawmills.

Link: Emerald Ash Borer - Purple Trap Questions & Answers

There was one trap that was found positive for Emerald Ash Borer in last year's survey. The trap was placed on an island in the Mississippi River channel, near the Wisconsin banks where EAB infestations are known.

The trap location was the same island were EAB was first confirmed earlier in the spring of 2010. No other positive traps were found.

Cooperating agencies including the USDA-APHIS PPQ, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) conducted the survey.

2010 Sentinel Tree Survey

In addition to the purple trap survey, nearly 423 sentinel trees were established across Iowa by the IDNR, including 12 trees in Allamakee County that will be processed in the fall and winter of 2010.

(Click on pictures to get a larger view.)

Sentinel trees are ash trees that are girdled during the spring to induce stress, there by making the tree more attractive for insect attack. These trees are then bark peeled and surveyed for larvae of the Emerald Ash Borer during the fall and winter.

Sentinel trees are placed at high risk locations such as campgrounds, parks, and well travelled public places where EAB is likely to be introduced. As of January 2011, no larvae have been found in any of the sentinel tree locations.

Sentinel trees have been established again for the 2011 detection survey.

Inspecting Local Ash Trees

Surveying of local ash trees, whose symptoms are similar to EAB, continues throughout Iowa. Most of these trees are owned by concerned Iowa citizens, who have called or emailed inquires regarding Emerald Ash Borer.

Link: How to determine if you have an Ash Tree

The numbers of local ash trees that were inspected during 2009 - 2011 has been considerable; although these numbers are not officially recorded.

This work continues to be done in cooperation with Iowa State University Extension, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and the USDA. None of the public trees, that have been inspected as of January 2011, were found to have EAB.

IDNR is also conducting an inspection of an additional 1,700 ash trees in campgrounds and state owned public areas. This is a continuing project, where approximately 1,265 ash trees in 234 campgrounds across 55 counties were surveyed in 2009. Consequently, no trees have been found suspect as of January 2011.

If you suspect Emerald Ash Borer in your neighborhood, we would be happy to take a closer look without inconvenience to you. Please help us by filling out the Contact Us page.

Workshops and Meetings

Several informational meetings and workshops for the public have also been conducted in communities throughout Iowa.

Workshops are scheduled by Iowa State University Cooperative Extension, and are intended for any person who may be interested in Emerald Ash Borer.

People who may be interested in attending a workshop for 2011, can find the scheduling and locations at: ISU Pest Management and the Environment

Public Relations

The Iowa EAB Team are active in educating the public about the risk associated with the transportation of out-of-state firewood into Iowa.

This effort is directed toward businesses who sell firewood, and to individuals who may bring firewood across state lines. We have done a number of public relations campaigns, advertising, and billboards that are designed to educate people about the threat.

Link: See our Billboards

Link: See our Magazine Ads

Link: Don’t Move Firewood!

Link: Listen to PSA's: Talking Trees | Moving Wood

Iowa State Fair Displays