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Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) is an exotic, invasive, wood-boring insect that infests and kills native North American ash trees, both in forests and landscape plantings. With EAB now in several areas of the Show-Me State - and its ability to hitchhike on firewood - the probability of it spreading to noninfected areas in the state is high.

Although not yet detected here, thousand cankers disease (TCD) is a potentially fatal disease of black walnut, caused by the walnut twig beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis) and an associated fungus (Geosmithia morbida). TCD could easily spread to Missouri from the several eastern and western states where TCD is already present. You can help minimize the chances of spreading TCD by following these steps:

• Don't move firewood
• Don't transport walnut for woodworking (including buying walnut wood over the Internet)
• Promptly report dead or dying walnut trees

Insects and diseases that are damaging and killing trees across the contiguous United States are reducing the ability of the nation's forests to capture and store climate-changing carbon dioxide, according to a new study. The study – published in the journal Frontiers in Forests and Global Change – found that forests damaged by insects sequestered 69% less carbon than undamaged forests. Those affected by disease sequestered 28% less carbon. In total, the study found that the damage currently being caused by insects and diseases across the contiguous US is reducing the sequestration potential of America’s forests by roughly 50 million tons of carbon dioxide each year – the equivalent of emissions from more than 10 million cars.

Tribal, state and local governments will join forces at Lake Roosevelt this week to combat the spread of northern pike, recently recorded just two dams away from critical Columbia River salmon habitat. “We are at a critical moment in time where northern pike have not spread into salmon habitat,” said Kelly Susewind, director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “If northern pike move downstream, the State of Washington will consider this an environmental emergency. We need to work together to stop northern pike.”

See also: Biocontrol Factsheets for more information on biocontrol agents

See also: Noxious Weeds - Publications and Surveys for more resources

The Administration announced a new interagency conservation agreement to protect western water supplies, power generation, outdoor recreation and aquatic ecosystems by strengthening efforts to combat invasive mussels.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and six Department of the Interior bureaus focuses on boosting federal coordination, communication and collaboration to enhance the capacity of federal, state and tribal agencies to rapidly respond to discoveries of invasive mussels in western states.

For 21 consecutive years, researchers from the USDA Forest Service and partners at North Carolina State University have tracked the status and trends of forest health across the U.S.  Annual assessments of forest health are key to understanding whether year-to-year changes are part of longer-term trends.  Forests constantly change because of tree mortality and growth, weather events and climate trends, and disturbances from stressors including fire, insects, and diseases.

On September 12, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and its partners declared Monroe Township in Clermont County, Ohio, free of Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). This news came just months after APHIS declared Stonelick Township free of the beetle in March. ALB was first discovered in Monroe Township in August 2011. We think people unknowingly moved the beetle in firewood from Tate Township before anyone knew about the infestation there. Before long, adult beetles emerged and started infesting trees in Monroe. To stop this pest in its tracks, APHIS and state officials had to remove 1,186 trees in Monroe. They protected 4,614 other trees by injecting a pesticide directly into the trunks. It took 7 years, but after inspecting over 177,000 trees, APHIS and its partners finally confirmed the beetle is no longer there.

Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) and houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale L.) have been added to the state noxious weed list. Palmer amaranth is an aggressive pigweed species similar in appearance to waterhemp and was first found in the state last year. It has now been found in five counties. Houndstongue, which does not spread aggressively like Palmer amaranth, has been found in North Dakota since at least 1911 but infestations have tripled since 2008. It is now found in at least 25 counties. The public is urged to work with local weed officers, extension agents and other experts to identify and report suspect plants. More information on these and other noxious and invasive weeds is available at Noxious Weeds.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is announcing that two exotic species of Asian and Eurasian ticks have been detected for the first time on Block Island. It was confirmed by DNA and morphological characteristics that they are ticks not previously found in Rhode Island. Dr. Danielle M. Tufts identified the tick species Haemaphysalis longicornis and Haemaphysalis punctata when studying ticks on Block Island this summer.

Haemaphysalis longicornis, also called the Asian longhorned tick, was first detected in the United States in 2017 in New Jersey. Haemaphysalis punctata is native to Europe and has not been previously detected in a natural setting in North America. H. punctata is sometimes known as the "red sheep tick" in its native range. The center of its distribution is the southern half of Europe, including England, and there are some established populations along North African coastal areas. The finding on Block Island is notable because this tick is not known to exist outside of its home range.

New research from the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC) shows a possible path forward in controlling the invasive pest, the emerald ash borer (EAB), that threatens Minnesota’s nearly one billion ash trees.

In a recent study published in Fungal Biology, MITPPC researchers identified various fungi living in EAB-infested trees — a critical first step in finding fungi that may be harnessed to control the spread of EAB, and ultimately, prevent ash tree death. 

Scientists at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Ft. Worth District are researching the effects of biocontrol on an invasive tree in south Texas. The Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolia, was introduced to the U.S. as an ornamental in the 1840s. This invasive tree causes problems where it grows because it forms dense thickets, shading out native grasses and shrubs.