Emerald Ash Borer Research Paper

This paper will discuss a major concern that is happening with ash trees in the United States. A small beetle has been infesting and destroying ash trees in many northern states. This paper will be specifically focusing on a small town, LaGrange, Indiana, to find answers to the many questions for this project. I wanted to see what kind of an impact the Emerald Ash Borer had on the environment, and if there could be any impact on human health. Along with the impact these beetles had on the environment I hoped to find out how the Emerald Ash Borer arrived in the United States, because it is an invasive species, and to find out how they were moving so rapidly through northern states. Not only did I want to find the effects of the beetle, but

This beetle is thought to have arrived to the United States from Asia, in wood packing material. The beetle was first discovered in southern Michigan, near Detroit. This was in two-thousand-two. Now in two-thousand-sixteen the Emerald Ash Borer has also been found in Canada, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, New York, Kentucky, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, New Jersey, Arkansas and Louisiana.
At this time it is estimated that the Emerald Ash Borer is responsible for killing over one million ash trees. Ash trees are very abundant. Some forests are over half ash trees. With the Emerald Ash Borer moving as quickly as it does and killing trees so fast this will lead to a huge shortage of ash trees. All twenty-two species of ash trees are targeted by the beetles. Once the Emerald Ash Borer becomes an adult, they do not pose much of a threat. They will mostly eat the leaves on the trees, which can cause some damage, but not nearly as much as the larvae. The larvae are what causes the real damage to the ash trees. The larvae will burrow into the tree, carving out tunnels. These tunnels then make it impossible for the ash trees to transport the nutrients it need throughout the tree. Once an ash tree has been affected by the Emerald Ash Borer, it on average has between five to seven years left before it will