What We Are Doing

(Last updated 8 March, 2010)

The take home message: Iowa still remains "officially" uninfested for Emerald Ash Borer, and monitoring for this pest will continue through 2010.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship works in cooperation with:

Our goal is to educate the public about the damage associated with Emerald Ash Borer, and also to offer knowledge to individuals, businesses, and municipalities about detecting and dealing with the threat.

2009 Purple Trap Results

(Click on pictures to get a larger view.)

2009 was a busy year for the Iowa Emerald Ash Borer Team. Several hundred purple sticky traps (656 to be exact) were placed throughout Iowa to survey for the presence of EAB.

Link: Emerald Ash Borer - Purple Trap Questions & Answers

A considerable number of the traps were placed in northeast and eastern Iowa. The purple trap survey will be conducted again in 2010.

Traps are placed at high risk sites where the possible introduction of infested firewood and wood products are a concern. Such places are parks, campgrounds and sawmills. Traps are also placed adjacent to areas east of the Mississippi River, where EAB has been confirmed by the state of Wisconsin.

Purple traps are maintained and checked by the USDA, and Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Public lands managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources also take part in the purple trap survey.

The conclusion to the 2009 survey was that no Emerald Ash Borer beetles were found in any of the traps, at any of the locations surveyed.

2009 Sentinel Tree Results

In addition to the purple trap survey, nearly 423 sentinel trees were established across Iowa by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in 2009.

(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 December 2009, no larvae have been found in any of the sentinel trees. Plans are being made to conduct the sentinel tree survey again in 2010.

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 concerning Emerald Ash Borer.

Link: How to determine if you have an Ash Tree ?

The numbers of local ash trees that were inspected during 2009 was considerable; although, these numbers are not officially recorded.

This work continues to be spread across Iowa State University Extension, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and the USDA depending on who may be in the area to do the inspection in an efficient and timely manner. None of the public trees inspected in 2009 were determined to have EAB.

If you suspect Emerald Ash Borer in your neighborhood, we would be happy to take a closer look. 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 during 2009.

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 2010, 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 business who sell firewood and individuals who may bring firewood across the state lines. We have done a number of public relations campaigns, advertising and billboards dedicated 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