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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/26931
R O U N D T A B L E EAB: Lessons Learned Photos by Kay Sicheneder A bout eight years ago, Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) entered the northwest part of Ohio. Fortunately, because the Ohio Division of Forestry has long-standing relationships with communities, cities and villages were in a good position to deal with the wave of dead ash trees that followed. The community experiences with EAB were diverse, but there are several overarching les- sons learned. You’ve probably done this before. Over the previous half-century, Ohio already experienced Dutch elm dis- ease, gypsy moth, and managing a large number of over-mature urban forests. Communities are cognizant of the need for emergency preparedness for things like fire, water quality, and traffic accidents. There are plans, people in charge who are assigned specific duties, and support from officials and the public to continue funding these efforts. Because community forestry activities are so specialized and often over- looked, it’s even more imperative to plan, prepare, and “sell” community forest management. Look for models in your community and region (it doesn’t have to be trees). What’s worked in the past? How can you improve it? Why reinvent the wheel? People procrastinate. I think this is human nature–not necessarily because people think potentially devastat- ing issues are unimportant, but because issues like EAB are difficult to conceptualize. Infrastructure fail- ures, human disease epidemics, and large-scale tree mortality are often easier to cope with when they are out of mind. What we discovered, thanks to an Ohio State Extension educator, is that people go through a series of feelings much like the stages of grief. Denial, the first stage, is the procrastination behavior: “EAB is in the next state/county” or “Someone will find a cure” are common sentiments. Unfortunately, once we progress through the next stages of Shock, Anger, and Sadness, and finally to Acceptance, when we can make good management decisions, EAB is often making quick business of ash trees. Our job as urban foresters is to bring local officials to Acceptance as early as possible so that they can make rational, reasonable decisions on behalf of their citizens. It’s normal to feel like Chicken Little. I’ve felt like this since 2004 when it was apparent that EAB had already spread well beyond the boundaries of eradica- tion efforts. Once we started seeing the waves of ash 28 death–30-50 miles a season–it just exacerbated the feeling as I worked with communities still ahead of the EAB front. Once I understood my role was limited to supplying local officials with updates, management options, and an open door for when they were ready to move forward, I was able to focus efforts on communi- ties who prepared early. Whether EAB sweeps through an unprepared community, or it moves right through with minimal impact because of a community’s proac- tive management, it’s a teachable moment for the next developing issue. EAB is more an opportunity for urban forestry than a threat. Before EAB, I thought gypsy moth was the biggest threat to Ohio urban forests. Thanks to EAB, I now believe that the lack of consistent, on-going management and admin- istrative support is the biggest threat to community for- estry. It’s a matter of scale. It takes trained, dedicated professionals to manage a large system of anything such as streets, sewers, and trees. This includes identi- fying potential threats and protecting the integrity of the urban infrastructure. If a city is large enough to require engineers on staff, it’s probably large enough to need a professional urban forester to manage its urban for- est. In these difficult economic times, an urban forester can identify and target the most pressing issues within budget constraints, making a case to at least continue managing for hazard tree mitigation and EAB manage- ment. For cities without professional foresters, many are still developing an appreciation for such a position. Maybe when local budgets improve, they can utilize their EAB experience to help get a trained forester, much like cities did after Dutch elm disease. With communities not large enough to have a staff forester, it is often the job of the tree commission or local officials to manage and plan for the health and care of their tree resource. One of the best things we did in Ohio was to develop an EAB Management Plan template for communities. Having a written plan helps to build credibility and sup- port for a tree care program well beyond EAB. Some NW Ohio urban foresters and tree commissions developed EAB plans that did not receive approval or implemen- tation in a timely manner. Once EAB wreaked havoc in their towns, or grants became available to address tree removal and lost canopy, several of the foresters and tree commissioners gained credibility as well as confidence to move forward with other aspects of their City Trees