WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The Emerald Ash Borer has been wreaking havoc on Indiana Ash trees since 2004. The invasive Asian beetle is responsible for widespread destruction of Ash tree populations across the state, and the Indiana Parks Alliance is warning Hoosiers that if aggressive action isn’t taken to combat the insect, almost all of Indiana’s Ash trees will be gone within the next ten years.
Indiana Parks Alliance President, Tom Hohman, says the organization is taking donations that will go towards treating ash trees against the deadly Emerald Ash Borer.
To treat the trees, a special insecticide is injected into holes drilled near ground level. The insecticide kills Emerald Ash Borers as it is drawn through the roots. Hohman said the Insecticide is safe for pollinators like honey bees, and that it takes around two-hundred dollars to treat an ash tree for up to three years. Hohman says the Ash tree is vital indigenous species in Indiana.
If ash trees continue to die off at the current rate, the state is looking at a loss of ten to twenty billion dollars, according to an Indiana Parks Alliance press release. Hohman hopes the Parks Alliance campaign will stop the devastation of Emerald Ash Borers and benefit future trees.
The Indiana Parks Alliance hopes to raise twenty-thousand dollars within the next few months. More information can be found at Indiana Parks Alliance.org
