Ashes to Ashes

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" is a platitude often used at burial services to denote the finality of life as we know it.  In most of Ohio, we could be talking about the end of the trees in the  genus Fraxinus.  Lots of them have been getting cut and burned, since we first learned of a wood boring pest which denotes certain death.   Emerald Ash Borer shows no mercy, even in the most holiest of Birding Sanctuaries:  Magee Marsh.  

The boardwalk at Magee will soon be filled with birders, craning necks and tenaciously pursuing some rarity, like Golden-wing Warbler.  May presents two magical weeks of migration in Ohio, when the neo-tropical migrants drop into woodlots like glittering jewels. It simply must be experienced in its full glory; birders live large from May 1 to May 15 and count each day most precious.

But these invaders give no pause, Emerald Ash Borer damage is obvious.  The ash at Magee have been under attack for several years; some trees still cling to life, but it is a futile effort.

 Ohio State Extension has been following the progression of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).  As of now, we are officially licked.  The red counties are done in, and it is probably time to call it quits.  Fact is: you aren't going to manage it.  You are only going to manage how soon the tree will come down after it is dead.

At Magee we are witnessing the after math of a major die-off.  Certainly many of these trees will eventually present a hazard in some places and should be removed if they are endangering the lives of people on the boardwalk. However, as a management practice, this Weedpicker thinks we should slow down a bit and say, "What would J. J. (Audubon) do?" 


I think he would leave some mighty tall stumps for the woodpeckers and wrens.  In places where a tree would fall clear of a walk- it could remain standing.  There is a whole lot of activity going on in a dead tree, and our best understanding of nature comes when we observe it. 


So let's intervene only when absolutely necessary.  And maybe we can ask our friends at the Division of Wildlife to manage... for wildlife. 

No "Dead" Tree

Tales from the Marsh Part 1.

Meadowbrook Marsh is brimming with life, and death. Everything is nature is connected by a fine cord, according to John Muir, and life is interwoven with death and decay. If one looks closely at a so-called dead tree, he might be surprised with the variety of life forms displayed.
Standing timber or firewood to some, but in reality, a micro-forest of diversity can thrive on this tree. From the berries on an obvious-at-a-distant Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia to the pin-head sized grubs buried in the bark, dead trees provide sustenance to birds, squirrels and a multitude of lesser life-forms.

Bird watchers filled the platform at Meadowbrook Marsh during Midwest Birding Symposium. Dead ash trees are numerous in the wood lot behind.

Humans seem to be the only animal unable to appreciate a standing dead tree. But perhaps birders are more highly evolved humans, as they often realise birds can be found in the open canopy of decay. Unfortunately, the number of dead trees in all of north-western Ohio is at a staggering high.

The Emerald Ash Borer (photo FDACS), uninvited guest from Asia has infested our ash trees, leaving trails of devastation and decline in our woodlots. The grubs of this emerald green beetle are impacting the management of city parks, neighborhood tree lawns and creating a boon for tree services everywhere. Certainly, dead trees can be hazardous in a populous community, but perhaps we should examine the broader implications in woodlots and natural areas.

Those D-shaped exit holes are the telling tale. Soon the bark layer, will separate from the tree, revealing the channels grubs used and interrupted the water-service from the roots to the leaves. The cause of pre-mature death. But from this death springs life: fungi, ants, grubs go to work as decomposers. Meanwhile, berry festooned vines of ivy and grape feed flocks of migrating bird and provide life-support for wintering birds.

It is a micro-community in a high-rise tower.

Red-headed Woodpecker, photo Dave Lewis

Woodpeckers are the winners. The Hairy and Downy rap out their beat, while Red-bellieds call from the tops of snags. It may be hard to remember so much life can come from death, but ask the birders. They already know.