The emerald ash borer has killed approximately 200 million of the United States’ 8 billion ash trees since their discovery in the US. 73 species of insects that rely on ash trees are being threatened with extinction, as their habitats are being destroyed. The surviving insects would be forced to adapt to a new environment, which could start a domino effect and threaten the populations of the plant they adapt to.
The EAB has also increased the population of four different species of bird in the Naperville area. Those species are the the downy woodpecker, the hairy woodpecker, the red-bellied woodpecker and the white-breasted nuthatch. It is known that the woodpeckers have a taste for the ash borer larvae, and will feed off of infested ash trees. It is not known if the nuthatch also feeds on the ash borer larvae, but all four species of bird are cavity nesters (they dig a hole into a tree to use as a nest), and as the emerald ash borer kills trees, it also leaves potential nesting areas. The EAB also has an effect on the bee population, which has been hit indirectly due to the insecticides which are used to treat the ash trees. When the ash trees have to be removed, the Naperville Park District is replacing the trees with the widest variety possible. They are using native species whenever they can, including ironwood, maple, and oak. Their reason for using a variety of species of trees is that if there is ever another outbreak of something that targets a specific type of tree, there will be much less damage done. |
This is an audio clip of Naperville Park District employee Tiffani Howell explaining why the woodpecker is attracted to the ash tree.
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