DNR
Home PageSURVEY FOR EMERALD ASH BORER BEGINS IN STATE PARKS
JEFFERSON CITY, MO., MAY 16, 2008 -- If you are curious on your next visit to a Missouri state park about that strange purple object in the tree, don't worry that someone has lost their kite. The purple object is actually part of an effort to determine if emerald ash borers have infested any ash trees in state parks, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
The emerald ash borer is an exotic beetle from Asia that was discovered in Michigan in 2002. The larvae feed on the inner bark of ash trees, eventually killing them, and it has already destroyed millions of ash trees across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. Although there have not been any infestations found yet in Missouri, the emerald ash borer is moving southward. The purple traps, located in trees in campgrounds and picnic areas, are part of a proactive effort to detect if any emerald ash borers do make it into Missouri.
This effort is part of a national research and education effort led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the Department of Natural Resources, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Missouri Department of Agriculture and other agencies.
The state parks and historic site where the traps are located include Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park in Wildwood; Battle of Athens State Historic Site near Revere; Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon; Cuivre River State Park near Troy; Lake of the Ozarks State Park near Kaiser; Meramec State Park near Sullivan; St. Joe State Park in Park Hills; Table Rock State Park near Branson; Mark Twain State Park near Stoutsville; Wakonda State Park near La Grange; and Washington State Park near De Soto. Traps are also being placed in city parks, conservation areas, national forests and other areas.
The state parks and historic sites were chosen because they have campgrounds, and research shows they are more heavily used by visitors coming from states where emerald ash borers have been found. The most common way the beetle is spread long distances is through movement of firewood, nursery stock or ash logs. That is why Missouri state parks have begun an effort to ask campers to not bring their own firewood or to burn it all during their visit.
In Missouri, ash trees can be found from urban parks and city streets, where they make up about 21 percent, to natural forest stands, where they comprise about 3 percent of total trees. Once emerald ash borers infect trees in an area, they can kill large stands of ash trees.
For more information about emerald ash borers, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/forest/features/firewood.htm. For more information about Missouri state parks, contact the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) or visit www.mostateparks.com.
