Vaccinating trees?

On Oct. 9th and 10th, I attended a live stream conference from Healing for the Ages. This conference is put on by 4 doctors- Dr. Bryan Ardis, Dr. Ed Group, Dr. Henele Ealy and Dr. Jana Schmidt. I got many blog ideas as I was watching this conference but also watching the chat. One lady said the city that she lives in was offering to vaccinate trees from the Emerald Ash Borer that seems to love Ash trees for some reason. I had never heard of this so I decided to look into this further.

The Emerald Ash Borer is a small bug, smaller than a pennny that can kill a Ash tree.

The first question I have is why does the destructive bug like the Ash tree so much?

This is what google AI said-

Emerald ash borers are monophagous, meaning they are biologically specialized to feed and reproduce almost exclusively on ash trees (Fraxinus species).

Key Reasons for the Attraction

• Chemical Attractants: The beetles use specialized chemoreception to detect specific chemical volatiles and aromas emitted by ash trees that signal a suitable host for feeding and laying eggs.

• Evolutionary History: The emerald ash borer evolved in Asia alongside Asian ash species (such as the Manchurian ash), which developed natural chemical defenses and co-evolved resistance mechanisms over thousands of years.

• Lack of North American Defenses: North American ash species (like green, white, and black ash) share no common evolutionary history with the beetle. As a result, they lack the specific natural defenses needed to stop the insect.

• Nutrient-Rich Phloem Layer: Female beetles lay eggs in the bark crevices, and the hatching larvae burrow directly into the inner bark (the phloem and cambium layers). This layer is packed with the sugars and nutrients the tree transports, making it an ideal food source for the developing larvae

The second question is How did this destructive bug get here?

Again, google AI says-

The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) arrived in North America in solid wood packing material—such as wooden crating, pallets, or dunnage—used in international cargo ships coming from its native range in eastern Asia.

Key Details of the Introduction:

• Native Origin: The beetle is native to temperate forests in northeastern Asia, including parts of China, Korea, eastern Russia, Japan, and Mongolia.

• Time of Arrival: Scientists estimate the pest arrived and went undetected in the United States during the early-to-mid 1990s.

• First Discovery: It was officially identified in North America in summer 2002, after mass tree die-offs were noticed near Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.

• Why It Spreads: Unlike Asian ash trees, North American ash species have no natural resistance or co-evolved defense mechanisms against the beetle. Subsequent spread across dozens of states and provinces has been driven by natural flight and the human transport of infested firewood, logs, and nursery stock.

Now, look at the last statement-Asian Ash trees have some resistance to these bugs unlike American Ash trees.

How do Asian Ash trees resist these bugs? According to the US Forestry Service the Asian Ash trees and the Emerald Ash borer evolved with each other and therefore, developed resistance to the bug. The Ash trees here in the US haven't seen these bugs so they are falling to this invasive bug. There has been some testing by doing a hybrid of differernt Ash trees to see if they can find one that is resistant to the Emerald Ash borer.

When a female is looking to lay her eggs, she avoids healthy Manchurian ash trees, much preferring a North American ash or a Manchurian ash weakened by drought. As it turns out, a healthy Manchurian ash is a hostile place for the larvae. When emerald ash borer’s eggs hatch in the trees, the larvae struggle to survive. It is easier for the larvae to survive if the tree is stressed, unhealthy or weakened by drought.

Once the larvae becomes an adult, then they are strong enought to attack and kill healthy Ash trees.

As we know, the current defense to the Emerald Ash borer is to cut down Ash trees, both the ones that have been infested and the ones that haven't in order to slow or stop the spread of the Emerald Ash borer. This done during their dormant time, which is October thru April.

The spread of the Emerald Ash borer hasn't been stopped. They continue to spread to areas that they haven't been in. A quarantine was lifted in January 2021 as restrictions and bans weren't working.

Some communities are vaccinating their trees against the Emerald Ash Borer. I had never heard of this before. Google AI said the chemcial that is used is emamectin benzoate, which provides reliable protection for 2 to 3 years. The cost is quite high, is $7 to $16 per inch of diameter at breast height (DBH) for a multi-year cycle. This systemic insecticide is effective in controlling EAB by disrupting the insect's nervous system, ultimately leading to its death. It provides protection for up to two years after injection. Now think, if a community has dozens or hundreds of Ash trees lining streets or in the yards of homes, this cost can add up quite quickly. It economically makes sense to cut the tree down than to "vaccinate" the tree.

But, our forests are thinned out when these Ash trees are cut down. That beautiful canopy of trees isn't as full, there isn't as much shade, when fall comes the leaves from the Ash trees isn't among the beauty of fall colors or on the ground that we slide our feet thru when walking.

I'm a frequent visit to the north shore of Lake Superior. I like to hike in the various forests. Not one is the same as another one. The canopy of trees, the under growth and even the sounds of the forest is different. When you are the only one in the area, it's an incredible feeling. It's hard to describe. Now imagine if a fraction of that forest has been cut down, everything changes.

I understand why the cities and forestry service are doing what they are doing. I just wonder, which has the higher cost? Vaccinating the tree or thinning out the forests?

Food for thought.