{"id":31878,"date":"2024-08-05T15:31:37","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T19:31:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/?page_id=31878"},"modified":"2025-01-10T11:26:08","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T16:26:08","slug":"for-umaine-emerald-ash-borer-researchers-preparing-for-the-inevitable-is-an-act-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/mitchell-center-stories\/for-umaine-emerald-ash-borer-researchers-preparing-for-the-inevitable-is-an-act-of-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"For UMaine emerald ash borer researchers, preparing for the inevitable is an act of hope"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Emerald<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Story by Sam Schipani<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emerald ash borer \u2014 or \u201cEAB,\u201d as it is known by those who study it \u2014 is an invasive insect that will decimate ash tree populations in Maine, as it has done in so many other places across the country. It\u2019s not a matter of if, but when.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the University of Maine, that inevitability is not met with despair, but hope, thanks to years of interdisciplinary research supported by the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions. Together, the Wabanaki Nations, UMaine\u2019s dedicated researchers and the collaborating state entities responding to EAB have been able to develop innovative management and adaptation strategies that integrate Indigenous knowledge as a guiding influence to deal with the invasive pest \u2014 and, hopefully, preserve ash trees for generations to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legacy of EAB research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

EAB devastates ash trees from the inside out, burrowing into the inner bark and cutting off the circulation of nutrients and water until the trees wither away. There is no saving a tree once EAB has really dug in, and, as of right now, there\u2019s no way to stop the spread of the invasive species in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bright green bug feasts on all types of ash trees, from white ash that is prized for quality furniture to hardy green ash like the trees that shade the UMaine Mall. However, EAB favors brown ash, also known as black ash, which is the best material for traditional Indigenous basket making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2009, UMaine researchers, including those affiliated with the Mitchell Center, started looking at the potential impact of EAB on Maine\u2019s ash trees, and how to address it in a way that integrates Indigenous perspectives and interests. Even though there was no EAB detected in Maine at that point, researchers, foresters, and Wabanaki basketmakers alike were anxious to get ahead of the issue. They heard about the EAB devastation in places like Michigan, where the pest wiped out nearly all ash trees in the state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
John Daigle. Photo courtesy of Tyler Everett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

John Daigle<\/a>, UMaine professor of forest recreation management, and Darren Ranco<\/a>, professor of anthropology and chair of Native American Programs, have been involved with the project since its inception. They are both Mitchell Center faculty and citizens of the Penobscot Nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot has changed since 2009. EAB was first detected in Maine in 2018, but the efforts of UMaine researchers paid off. Thanks to the establishment of the EAB-Brown Ash Task Force in collaboration with Maine\u2019s Wabanaki Nations and the state Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry (DACF), policies like quarantine zones and firewood bans have helped slow the spread of EAB across the state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe majority of our ash is still healthy in the state of Maine. Being proactive with policy, outreach and other things has made a difference,\u201d Daigle said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ranco said that success also comes from EAB discussions centering Wabanaki voices and interests from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis also meant that UMaine, and the Mitchell Center more specifically, could serve as a key convener of both Tribal and statewide scientific and policy response, and could contribute in productive ways,\u201d Ranco said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now that EAB is here, the work has entered a new era: adaptation. UMaine\u2019s Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik<\/a> (APCAW) network is leading the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparing the forest for EAB<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Tyler Everett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tyler Everett, a Ph.D. candidate at UMaine\u2019s School of Forest Resources, is using forest management to prepare the next generation of ash trees for the inevitable wave of EAB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everett, who is Mi\u2019kmaq, interned for the Passamaquoddy Forest Department as an undergraduate at UMaine, and worked there after graduation. The department encouraged him to pursue further education in the field. After enrolling in the Master of Forestry program at UMaine, he attended a Brown Ash Task Force meeting. After witnessing the integration of Indigenous knowledge into forest management firsthand, he wanted to be a part of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his master\u2019s program, Everett inventoried ash trees to find good quality brown ash sites. For his Ph.D., he focuses on managing forests in a way that will make them more resilient to EAB outbreaks, removing weaker \u201clow vigor\u201d trees that would attract and build up EAB while also creating gaps in the canopy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBrown ash is shade intolerant; by creating these gaps, we\u2019re promoting natural regeneration,\u201d Everett said. \u201cHopefully, that natural regeneration would be that cohort that survives the initial wave of emerald ash borer and gives us time to manage that site.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daigle notes that Everett\u2019s silvicultural research pairs well with other management methods, such as selective insecticides and the use of natural EAB predators including  nonnative and stingless parasitic wasps, a biocontrol method that the Maine Forest Service is testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everett also hosts discussions with Wabanaki communities about EAB management; he has held meetings with three of the five tribes in Maine and hopes to meet with the others this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everett says one of the greatest experiences for him has been getting to learn more about basket making over the course of his research. He even made a miniature pack basket that the flower girl used in his wedding, with sweetgrass woven into the rim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have been finding out a lot about my culture through my research,\u201d Everett said. \u201cBasketmakers say that there\u2019s no replacement for brown ash when it comes to basketry, and until you get a chance to hold it in your hands and work with it, you can\u2019t appreciate how true that is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collecting ash seeds for the next generation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Brown ash seeds. Photo courtesy of Tyler Everett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition to preparing the next generation of ash trees for an EAB invasion, researchers at UMaine are collecting ash seeds to preserve the genetic diversity of the trees. For example, Daigle said some trees show more resistance to EAB, and scientists may be able to build a more resilient tree through grafting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years of her Ph.D. program at UMaine, Emily Francis has led the development of a seed collection manual for ash<\/a>. The guide was created in partnership with Les Benedict of the Akwesasne St. Regis Mohawk Tribe in present day New York, and speaks to the strength of UMaine\u2019s EAB partnerships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat seed manual would not have happened without him,\u201d Francis says. \u201cThere hasn\u2019t been the care and time within the science community to dedicate to brown ash the way there is with other species. It was very frustrating for me to find information, except for Les Benedict\u2019s article on ash<\/a>. I couldn\u2019t imagine trying to be a private landowner who wants to help or somebody who wants to collect seed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis just hopes that the seed collecting guide has arrived in time; ash trees only produce seed every 5 to 8 years, and the last banner year for seeds was as recent as 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Everett is confident that these initiatives are, in fact, right on time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis year, early forecasting of brown ash seed development has been positive, giving us all hope that collections of brown ash seed this fall will be numerous,\u201d he said. Community members who want to get involved should follow the APCAW website for seed collection events<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, they have the next generation on their side. The Wabanaki Youth in Science (WaYS) program<\/a> has incorporated ash seed collection kits into their curriculum, and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute will bring seed kits into the classroom. The Wild Seed Project<\/a> is also partnering with APCAW to bolster their capacity to collect ash seeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis also spent her Ph.D. studying what has made Maine\u2019s EAB network successful, and how states can apply the model to deal with other invasive species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was really interested in learning about how a group can come together so far in advance of a threat and stick with it once the threat is present,\u201d Francis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis also worked with Everrett to survey landowners, foresters and loggers about their understanding of EAB, what their forest management responses might be, whether they would be interested in allowing for cultural access by Wabanaki basket makers, and what the barriers to allowing that access might be. Between their two surveys, there were over 800 respondents and plan to publish the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn the whole, people want their forests to be healthy,\u201d Francis said. \u201cThey want to take part in adaptive management strategies, but they want to know what the costs are. They want to see that their neighbors and peers have had success with this and they can see success as well. It\u2019s not a perfect world, there are no guarantees, but the fact that people are willing to take part is exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Communicating EAB strategies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Communication ties all the interdisciplinary research together into actual change; that\u2019s where master\u2019s student Ella McDonald comes in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

McDonald joined APCAW in fall 2022 as a graduate student in the Ecology and Environmental Sciences Program. Through their masters program, McDonald has conducted education and outreach efforts across various stakeholder groups. During 2023, McDonald organized 10 events both online and in person around different topics of protecting ash trees in Maine, reaching over 900 people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think often environmental issues feel daunting because it\u2019s often focused on individual choices. Something exciting about outreach is that it\u2019s an opportunity to make this work collective, and connect people who also care deeply about these issues and want to make a difference,\u201d McDonald said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McDonald surveyed event participants to see what the impact of these events has been, like whether participants are collecting seeds or caring for their ash stands, to figure out how to better support and encourage citizen science efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Ella McDonald and Emily Francis. Photo courtesy of Tyler Everett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the events, McDonald created a website<\/a> and a newsletter<\/a> to provide the public with information about ash inventory and seed collection, and was featured prominently, along with Francis, in a Maine Public segment about collecting ash seeds in October 2023<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat gathering was great to not only shed light on the importance of collecting ash seed, but how to do it. I hope that people can see that it can be really fun to go out into the forest with a group of people and collect seed,\u201d McDonald said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the coming years, Daigle says that maintaining communication with landowners, Tribal Nations and the general public will be critical to ensure that protecting ash in the face of EAB is not seen as a \u201clost cause.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important to try to sustain that hope,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new hope for EAB<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The grip of EAB is starting to feel heavy, according to Ranco, and Francis says there is \u201cstill a psychological hump that everyone in Maine is going to have to get over when they see the damage from the ash across the state.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s going to be loss,\u201d Francis says. \u201cJust because there is loss doesn\u2019t mean there isn\u2019t a light at the end of the tunnel. We just need to remember it\u2019s a very long process. Trees are not agricultural crops. This is a decades-long slog that we\u2019re going to have to go through to see ash secure on the landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everett is emboldened by the strides in research, and the interdisciplinary way the EAB issue has been approached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNobody is an expert on all things; it takes everyone collectively in action,\u201d Everett said. \u201cThrough that, and through research, I\u2019ve learned some things that give me hope.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Daigle and Ranco also said that the Mitchell Center\u2019s interdisciplinary approach to the EAB issue has been key to the successes that the state has experienced so far when it comes to preparing for and controlling the spread of EAB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe (Mitchell Center\u2019s) ethos is without its equal anywhere I have worked,\u201d Ranco said. \u201cThe values cut to the core of what makes UMaine great and special, and reflects a deep commitment to Wabanaki homelands, places and sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EAB work has also created a model for other projects addressing invasive species challenges by focusing on relationship building, especially for long-term projects. Daigle said that keeping up momentum, interest and satisfaction with a long-term project that does not show immediate results is challenging, but the EAB team at UMaine has shown that it is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t do research and just leave. You have to maintain those relationships. You have got to stay connected,\u201d Daigle said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact: Ruth Hallsworth, hallsworth@maine.edu<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Story by Sam Schipani Emerald ash borer \u2014 or \u201cEAB,\u201d as it is known by those who study it \u2014 is an invasive insect that will decimate ash tree populations in Maine, as it has done in so many other places across the country. It\u2019s not a matter of if, but when. At the University […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":957,"featured_media":0,"parent":32623,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/page-withsidebar.php","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-31878","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"taxonomy_info":[],"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"mitchellcenter","author_link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/author\/mitchellcenter\/"},"comment_info":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/957"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31878"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33234,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31878\/revisions\/33234"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mitchellcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}