Part 1: Biodiversity and Invasive Species

1. Part 1: Biodiversity and Invasive Species By Craig Kohn, WHS, with material from Cornell’s Invastion Ecology, Campbell’s Biology, and the USFS, among other sources

2. Imagine, for a moment… • Imagine, for a moment, that every hardwood deciduous tree has died in the Waterford area. • There are no trees lining the streets • The environmental center has had to be completely clear cut • The sides of streets are rural roads are lined with stacks of rotting, infested logs. • Seem unlikely?

3. March 15, 1999 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Office of the Secretary Declaration of Emergency A serious outbreak of the Asian longhorned beetle is occurring in Illinois and New York. This insect, native to China and Japan, is a destructive pest hardwood trees. If this pest moves into the hardwood forests of the United States, the nursery and forest products industry could experience severe economic losses. Resources are insufficient to meet the estimated $5.5 million needed for the Federal Share. Therefore…I declare that there is an emergency which threatens the forest and maple syrup industries of this country. Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture, United States of America

4. Gain one, lose many • According to the USDA, this one species had the potential to wipe out dozens, if not hundreds of species of hardwood trees across the nation. • How could the addition of one species cause so many others to die out? • What does this imply about the harm that can be caused by new species in ecosystems that otherwise never had these species? • Why can these species cause so much harm when other native species can’t? • Why can’t native species do this kind of damage?

7. Gypsy Moths • Once upon a time, when Mr. Kohn was but a lad of 15, he journeyed to the Great White North to do some camping. • He was just elected as an FFA Officer, and they were having their officer retreat at a northern WI campground. • While they were there, it rained caterpillars. • They landed in the food • They got in your hair. • They covered the roads in slime as cars drove over them. • It sounded like rain all week, but it wasn’t. It was a bug. And it literally rained bugs all week.

8. Courtesy of the US Forest Service • The gypsy moth, Lymantriadispar, is one of North America's most devastating forest pests. • The species originally evolved in Europe and Asia and has existed there for thousands of years. • Every year, isolated populations are discovered beyond the contiguous range of the gypsy moth. • It is inevitable that gypsy moth will continue to expand its range in the future. • Gypsy moth populations are typically eruptive in North America; in any forest stand densities may fluctuate from near 1 egg mass per ha to over 1,000 per ha.

9. Courtesy of the US Forest Service • When densities reach very high levels, trees may become completely defoliated. Several successive years of defoliation , along with contributions by other biotic and abiotic stress factors, may ultimately result in tree mortality. • Over the last 20 years, several millions of acres of forest land have been aerially sprayed with pesticides in order to suppress outbreak gypsy moth populations. • Though some areas are treated by private companies under contract with land owners, most areas are sprayed under joint programs of state governments and the USDA Forest Service.

13. Here we go again… • Emerald Ash BorerEmerald ash borer (EAB), AgrilusplanipennisFairmaire, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. • The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. • Emerald ash borer probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes. • It became established in Wisconsin in summer 2008

15. A Bad, Bad Bug Since its discovery, EAB has: • Killed tens of millions of ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. • Caused regulatory agencies and the USDA to enforce quarantines (Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin) and fines to prevent potentially infested ash trees, logs or hardwood firewood from moving out of areas where EAB occurs. • Cost municipalities, property owners, nursery operators and forest products industries tens of millions of dollars.

16. “I Promise” • I Promise Not To Move Firewood: • http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2847315/promise_not_to_move_firewood_is_the_plea_to_the_public/ • The damage comes from the EAB larva, which eats the wood under the bark and starves the tree of water and nutrients, slowly killing the tree over one-to-two years. • There is no cure for the devastation caused by the beetle, which is why federal, state and local cooperators are reaching out to the public. The goal is to alert all citizens but especially those who live in the 10 infested states - IL, IN, MD, MI, MO, OH, PA, VA, WV and WI.

17. A Future With No Trees? • Does a tree-less future seem more possible? • Every year, Wisconsin forests are bombarded with more and more invasive species, each individually capable of destroying all of our state’s timber. • The DNR, USDA, Forest Service and other government agencies are constantly fighting an ever-growing battle between the native species that sustain our state’s economy and ecosystems, and the introduced insects that are destroying them. • Is it likely we will lose all the trees in WI? No • Is it possible? Definitely.