Summer interns tackle a big problem
From May to mid-August, four intrepid seasonal interns worked steadily to combat an alien pest that is ravaging park forests. The diminutive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was officially documented in Philadelphia in 2016. Our native ash trees have no resistance to this insect, so they are rapidly succumbing to the voracious feeding by the beetle’s larvae all over the city. Over the next several years, all 200,000+ of the City’s ash trees are likely to be killed by this pest.
The only trees that are expected to survive are those that are chemically treated to resist the EAB. In 2015 and 2016, the first round of treatments was done on ash trees that would become hazards if they die— large trees near roads, parking lots, buildings— and on excellent specimens to preserve. Curtis Helm, then at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, developed the program to identify trees to treat and implement treatments.
Since treatments are effective for only 2-3 years, 2018 was the next “window” for re-treating the previously treated trees. This is where the seasonal interns come in. In May, Parks & Rec hired Christopher LeClair, Alec Miller, William Sheirer, and Kendall Topping. Their job was to inject an insecticide called Arbormectin into ash trees to protect them against EAB.
After a week of training, the four of them divided into two teams, and they were off and running. The following is a partial list of obstacles they overcame in the course of their work:
Poison ivy (multiple infections)
Deer ticks (2 cases of Lyme disease)
Stinging insects, including yellow jackets (multiple) and saddleback caterpillar (1)
Equipment malfunctions (multiple)
Data errors (several)
Lacerations (1)
Car accidents (1) and mechanical problems (3)
Pollen allergies (2, for many days)
Steamy work conditions (many days + 1 case of heat exhaustion)
The interns also fielded many questions from curious park users, such as, “Are you killing that tree?” Many trees had poison ivy vines that needed to be cleared before treatments could be done. On August 20, they emerged from the woods victorious. 1,379 ash trees were treated this summer, ranging in size from 7 inches DBH (diameter at breast height) to 60 inches DBH. The average diameter of the treated trees was about 26 inches, so many large trees were saved. The teams injected 200 quarts of Arbormectin in total.
Though we will continue to lose many ash trees, these treatments will ensure that at least some populations of white and green ash remain in our parks. Hopefully, some will serve as seed sources for new trees in the future. Since many of the treated trees would be considered hazards if they died, the treatments helped prevent hazards and/or the cost of removing them.
Congratulations to the EAB interns for a job well done!