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Talk on the Emerald Ash Borer Threat in Vermont

Jim Esden, Protection Forester at the Vermont Department of Forest Parks and Recreation, will be at the Putney Public Library on Wednesday, June 5 at 7 pm to describe the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and the threat this invasive, Asian beetle poses to Vermont’s 150 million ash trees.
The Emerald Ash Borer was first detected in Detroit, Michigan in 2002. It was discovered in northern Orange County Vermont in 2018. Now it has been found in Stamford, Vermont less than 200 miles from Guilford, Brattleboro, Dummerston and Putney. Ash from anywhere in the state is now regulated by both state and federal rules. How to comply with the state’s “Slow the Spread” rules as well as how to protect special ash trees will be discussed
Mr. Esden’s talk also kicks off initiatives by the Towns of Putney and Guilford to inventory all the ash trees along town road right-of-ways. EAB is expected to kill more than 98% of the ash trees it infests, and most road side ash trees will become hazards 3 – 5 years after the Emerald Ash Borer arrives. The state’s Urban Forestry program has awarded a grant of $2,000 grant to each town to carry out ash tree survey work leading to municipal planning for this problem. Anyone interested in helping with Guilford or Putney ash tree surveys can sign up at the June 5 meeting or at the appropriate Town Hall.