Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week is May 22-28th of 2023 and we are ready with some excellent webinars!
This year, Emerald ash borer (EAB) Awareness Week is May 22-28th. In addition to our normal EAB awareness outreach, we at Don’t Move Firewood are highlighting this notorious tree pest by hosting a few EAB-focused webinars. Hear from researchers and managers alike over the course of three live webinars in two days. We talk about communication strategies and public acceptance of EAB management, what’s going on in Oregon and other states as EAB spreads in the West, and findings on EAB survivability in extreme cold temperatures. Read on to learn more and view the recordings.
Shareable Flyer here: EAB Awareness Week 2023 Webinars
To start us off, Dr. Ingrid Schneider out of the University of Minnesota will join us to talk about her research on modern communication strategies and public acceptance of emerald ash borer management.
Wednesday, May 24th at 3-4pm EST
Addressing EAB: Understanding and influencing public acceptance of management options as communication technology evolves
About the research:
Public information may improve understanding of and support for management actions, including invasive species like EAB. In the age of increasing information and accelerating technology, research reveals that increasingly engaging information has a greater impact on attitudes and behaviors than less-engaging information. In response to calls for expanded research on the role of information in invasive species perceptions and management, we address current public acceptance of select management approaches to EAB as well as if, and how, increasingly engaging information impacts visitor acceptance of and preferences for management response to EAB.
- View the recording here: https://youtu.be/y5H1_qlzApo
- Contact Dr. Schneider at ingridss@umn.edu
Next up we will hear from Responding to emerald ash borer’s western spread: management updates from Oregon and others, plus outreach strategies by DMF
Dr. Cody Holthouse out of Oregon’s Department of Agriculture, Insect Pest Prevention and Management Program and state plant regulatory official joins Don’t Move Firewood to talk about the ongoing efforts to manage EAB since it’s discovery in Oregon nearly one year ago. We also hear from Dr. Frank Etzler, State Survey Coordinator and Natural Resource Section Manager from Montana Department of Agriculture with updates and actions they’re taking to prepare for EAB infestation. Plus – find out what resources and outreach services are available from the Don’t Move Firewood campaign. Let’s slow the spread!
Thursday, May 25th at 1pm EST (10am PST)
Responding to Emerald ash borer’s western spread: management updates from Oregon and others, plus outreach strategies by DMF
- View the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2BRVXpPRBk
- Contact Dr. Holthouse (Oregon) at cody.holthouse@oda.oregon.gov
- Contact Dr. Etzler (Montana) at frank.etzler@mt.gov
Later we will hear from Dr. Meghan Duell out of The Couchiching Conservancy in Orillia, Ontario about her research findings on cold tolerance of EAB and implications for survivability and spread.
Thursday, May 25th at 3pm EST
Extreme Cold Tolerance of the Emerald Ash Borer
About the research:
Emerald ash borers must be able to survive winter in their larval stage in order to emerge and spread as adults the following summer. Cold temperatures are a potential barrier to their success, especially in their northernmost range and invasion front in Canada. However, emerald ash borers are able to acclimatize to new thermal conditions very quickly and can survive extremely low temperatures (around -60 °F). The consequences of this extreme cold tolerance are that low winter temperatures may not be as effective for limiting spread as hoped.
- View the video the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikQTIYL5SyE
- Contact Dr. Duell at meghan@couchconservancy.ca
Thank you to all our speakers and attendees!