Seeking: Healthy Ash

Forest health researchers from across the Great Lakes Basin are teaming up to fight back against the pests ravaging our forests. The new group, the Great Lakes Basin Forest Health Collaborative (GLBFHC), isn’t just made up of scientists―any and all conservation professionals and interested citizens are invited to join in the efforts!

This fall, the group is focused on finding what are called lingering ash. These are healthy, mature ash trees growing in natural forests (not cultivars planted in yards) where the emerald ash borer has already invaded and caused widespread mortality. Whenever and wherever these trees are found, they’re flagged for study―they may be resistant to emerald ash borer and are prime candidates for breeding and restoration efforts.

If you have (or think you might have) a lingering ash on your forested property, please report it! Please include coordinates (or address) of the tree, photos, and tree diameter (if possible) with your message. Or, log your tree observations using the citizen science app TreeSnap―it’s free to download on your smartphone and provides instructions for what information and photos to log with your observation.

GLBFHC is taking on more than just ash; they’re also making moves to protect and restore eastern hemlock and American beech populations. If your area has a high prevalence of hemlock woolly adelgid, beech bark disease, or beech leaf disease, you can report healthy hemlock and beech trees on your property, too.

With your help, we can learn more about what keeps trees healthy in the face of invasive pests like the emerald ash borer. The resistant trees on your property could provide critical material for breeding ash trees that can be replanted, bringing this key species back and sustaining our forests for years to come.

For more information or to report lingering ash, please reach out to Forest Health Coordinator Rachel Kappler at rkappler@holdenfg.org. Want to stay up to date on the latest forest health news and research? Subscribe to the Great Lakes Basin Forest Health Collaborative email newsletter at GLBFHC Newsletter.

Written by Anna Funk, Science Writer, and Rachel Kappler, Forest Health Coordinator, Great Lakes Basin Forest Health Collaborative