Welcome to Alex Gorman
OSU Extension Forester
WCSWA Monthly Meeting, October 25th, 7:00pm
A large crowd enjoyed meeting our new OSU Extension Forester, Alex Gorman, who is assigned to Washington, Yamhill, and Columbia counties. Alex shared with us his education in forestry that was first spiked at Cal Poly, Humboldt where he received his BS in Forestry in 2018 and his MS at the University of Minnesota in 2022.
Alex’s role lately has been heavily impacted by the discovery of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Washington County (Forest Grove), but before giving us details on that, he shared his vision for the OSU Matteson Demonstration Forest near Hagg Lake. The emphasis at Matteson will be on demonstrations of pre-commercial thinning using light, medium and heavy thinning; planting; cedar harvest; invasive species removal, Amy’s trail maintenance and the idea of establishing Amy’s Memorial Oak Grove near the parking area.
Next up was information enhanced by slides of the Oregon ash, Fraxinum latefolia. This ash is Oregon’s only native ash species. Other ash species introduced in Oregon are white or American ash, green ash and Raywood ash which are all susceptible to the EAB. Mountain ash is found many places in Oregon, but is not an ash and is not threatened by the EAB which is native to Asia and probably came here via packing materials. The EAB was first discovered in 2002 in Michigan and has moved into 20 other states, including Oregon, in Forest Grove in 2022. It can result in 99% mortality in infected ash trees and can infect trees as small as one-inch in diameter. It can also establish on true olive trees.
EAB has a thin green body with a coppery-red abdomen and is less than one-half inch long. If you see a large green beetle, it is not an EAB. The beetle lays its eggs on bark and the larvae bores into trees. The eggs are too small to see on the bark, but the exit holes made when the larvae turn into beetles is D-shaped. Signs and symptoms of infestation include canopy thinning and tip dieback, epicormic spreading, woodpecker damage, D-shaped exit holes, and S-shaped galleries beneath the bark. Although it will change the habitat, if ash trees die, they can be replanted with cottonwood, big-leaf maple, Oregon white oak, western red cedar and others.
There is an EAB Task Force led by the Oregon Department of Agriculture facilitated by Oregon Invasive Species Council and 40 other agencies, including OSU Research and Extension. Control through insecticide, removal and biological means are being explored. In Oregon, ash seeds have been collected and stored for years with hope of a genetic solution.
Quarantine of ash, at least in Washington County, is expected to happen soon. Please report suspected infection in ash trees to https://www.oregoninvasivespeciescouncil.org/eab.
See additional articles and information in the November 2022 Forest Forum
Annual Banquet – It’s Happening! November 19, 5:30pm, Embassy Suites,
Hillsboro, OR
Speaker: TV Host Grant McOmie, award winning reporter and producer of the popular “Grant’s Getaways” segments and programs that air each week on KGW News.
Plus: good food, good company, raffle and door prizes, presentation of awards, including announcing the 2022 Tree Farmer of the Year for Washington County, and election of officers. Fill out the registration form inserted in this newsletter and send it in by November 5th. It will be great to get together!
Registration: To register please send an email requesting the registration form to washcosmallwoodlandsassoc@gmail.com.
Last Updated on November 5, 2022
Annual Banquet – It’s Happening! November 19, 5:30pm, Embassy Suites,
Hillsboro, OR
Speaker: TV Host Grant McOmie, award winning reporter and producer of the popular “Grant’s Getaways” segments and programs that air each week on KGW News.
Plus: good food, good company, raffle and door prizes, presentation of awards, including announcing the 2022 Tree Farmer of the Year for Washington County, and election of officers. Fill out the registration form inserted in this newsletter and send it in by November 5th. It will be great to get together!
Registration: To register please send an email requesting the registration form to washcosmallwoodlandsassoc@gmail.com.
Last Updated on November 5, 2022