Month: August 2023

Disposing of Woody Storm Debris from Asian Longhorned Beetle Host Trees

Posted on by Laurel Downs

Hurricane season is upon us. Please stay safe!

The following is an important Alert from our friends at USDA APHIS and Clemson University’s Department of Plant Industry regarding the South Carolina Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program in light of Storm Idalia:

——— NOTICE ———-

If you live in Charleston/Dorchester counties in South Carolina and are in the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) quarantine, please be safe through storm Idalia.

Please dispose of woody storm debris from ALB host trees at the Bees Ferry Road Convenience Center, 1344 Bees Ferry Road, 29414, or the Hollywood Convenience Center, 5305 Highway 165, 29449. Any wood debris half an inch or more in diameter is considered regulated material and must be disposed of properly. Doing this helps prevent spreading the insect to other areas.

>>See Here for the South Carolina ALB Regulatory Boundary<<

ALB host trees include all species of the following 12 genera: Ash, Birch, Elm, Golden raintree, Horsechestnut/buckeye, Katsura, London planetree/sycamore, Maple, Mimosa, Mountain ash, Poplar, and Willow. The ALB quarantine applies to the beetle and all its life stages, firewood of all hardwood species, green lumber, and other living, dead, cut, or fallen materials which may include nursery stock, logs, stumps, roots, branches, and debris half an inch or more in diameter of all ALB host trees.

If you have any questions, please call 843-973-8329.

For information on how best to protect yourself from high winds and flooding, please visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Additional Web Resources:

REMINDER: Firewood, yard waste, and other wood and tree products could potentially contain beetles. Don’t take firewood from your backyard along with you when you go camping, fishing, or any activity where you might use firewood. Instead, buy local bundled firewood at or near your destination, or gather firewood on-site when permitted.

protect south carolina forests billboards

 

WEBINAR: More Bugs are Coming

Posted on by Leigh Greenwood

Mark your calendars for the upcoming webinar “More Bugs are Coming… What this means for your trees and what you can do about it!” on Wednesday, September 13th from 4PM to 5PM EDT. This webinar will discuss forest pest impacts in urban areas- which are some of the first places that forest pests usually establish and infest. Don’t Move Firewood’s team is promoting this webinar opportunity because firewood from urban and suburban backyards is at particularly high risk of containing forest pests for this exact reason- and it’s great to hear the other end of the conversation on what these pests mean to people and nature around cities, towns, and parks.

More Bugs are Coming… What this means for your trees and what you can do about it!

Wednesday, September 13th from 4PM to 5PM EDT.

Register via Zoom here: bit.ly/hthc-webinar 

In just over two decades, the emerald ash borer has dealt a devastating blow to ash trees in our nation’s forests – in cities and beyond. New research suggests that as the climate changes, threats to trees like EAB will only increase. The Nature Conservancy will host an hour-long webinar about the future of insect and pathogen treats to trees, featuring guest researcher Emma J. Hudgins, a Lecturer at the University of Melbourne and author of the recent paper “Urban tree deaths from invasive alien forest insects in the United States, 2020- 2050.” Emma will present her work in collaboration with USDA Forest Service researchers on projections of tree mortality, the potential costs, and the cities at risk from invasive alien forest insects across the USA. The Nature Conservancy’s Asia Mae Somboonlakana, coordinator of Healthy Trees, Healthy Cities (HTHC), will share how tools like HTHC can be used by tree care professionals and civic ecologists alike to help get ahead of the next worst threat to our trees and forests by checking these trees for common signs and symptoms of known and unknown invasive alien forest insects in your community.

Shareable Flyer here: TreeInsectsWebinarFlyer