Shopsmith Forums

WARNING!!

So this may be considered a rant .

I try not to complain a lot in life.. life is too short o be miserable .

So this post is more in confusion then aggravation.


I was in the wood lot a few weeks ago and noticed the damages caused by the ash bore , they have nearly wiped out the entire ash population in the woods ,,, I honestly didn't even see any young trees,,,, I cant cut it all up for lumber ,,even though I am going to do my best,,,,, and hate to keep burning it for fire wood ,, it is just as nice to work,, and the grain is as nice as any oak you will find,,,, I have heard this is the normal for the state now ,,, the ash is going extinct and fast in these parts.

I think there may be 8-10 mature trees left in the small woods where I cut...

So my way of thinking is ,,,,,years ago folks burnt fire wood ,,assuming a lot was ash,,,,, made furniture ,,baseball bats,,,,,,,people had a use for the trees,,,,,, now not so much ,,,,is it possible that in the past folks burnt the larva of these invasive critters and kept them under control ???

I have read reports from the state that say these were imported ,, arrived here on ships and now we have a epidemic .

It just seems hard to believe this happened as fast as it did and in a such a large swath .

Sorry for the rant

I have all ways felt that as a wood worker ,,,,,,,it is just as important to understand the woods,,,,,, as it is to under stand the wood.

Hobbyman2

My ash trees are all dead now; I am near the center of the Ohio infestation. I can't even keep up with deadwood removal in my acre or so of woods, but still hope to make lumber of some of the big logs. But time is in short supply, and ash lumber is cheap and plentiful around these parts. Until it isn't anymore. Which won't be long.

For example:

https://columbus.craigslist.org/grd/5981703612.html
https://columbus.craigslist.org/mat/6015066875.html

Yes, the Ash Borer is an invasive species from Asia. It has no natural predators here.

About 8 years ago, we had an infestation in the area of something that killed most birch trees. Ours was a beauty. Had it cut down, and what I regret most (besides the tree dying) is that I did not take advantage of a bad situation by attempting to make my own birch lumber with the smaller pieces that would fit in my bandsaw for resawing.

It is sad to here this news. Sounds like ash will go the way of the mighty chestnut and the hemlocks of the Carolinas.

All my ash trees are dead. I had a logging company come in and cut the larger ones for lumber and the I had 30 plus ares clearcut with mostly softwood on it. They took the rest of the ash that was mixed in the softwoods for firewood. I had them cut me 40 pulp cords for firewood and stack it at the house. I have several big ones here by the house I cut and there are new shoots coming up from the roots. In 2 years time they grew enough that the larger ones are about 3 to 4 inches across. I bet some of them grew 6 foot a year. So far so good no bugs in them yet

That is great news , the new starts, I wonder if there is any thing you can wrap them or spray them with?

Or maybe use them for cuttings and sprout more trees??

You might have a gold mine there!!!

I was hoping to see new sprouts in the woods but no such luck.

That was why I thought that,,,,,,, folks use to burn the larva with out even realizing it ,,,,,, new trees use to grow constantly.

Hope you can save your new trees ,.

From what i know the bugs hit them after the bark gets thicker , when they are young the bark is pretty thin and tight

I found a walnut tree with what appears to be the same size holes in it this year , I hope these things don't transform into walnut tree killers!!!


Hobbyman2

mbcabinetmaker wrote:It is sad to here this news. Sounds like ash will go the way of the mighty chestnut and the hemlocks of the Carolinas.

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There is a park not far from here that still has a chestnut tree, not sure if it is the same genus as the one in the east .

It has to be very old .



Hobbyman2

sawmill wrote:All my ash trees are dead. I had a logging company come in and cut the larger ones for lumber and the I had 30 plus ares clearcut with mostly softwood on it. They took the rest of the ash that was mixed in the softwoods for firewood. I had them cut me 40 pulp cords for firewood and stack it at the house. I have several big ones here by the house I cut and there are new shoots coming up from the roots. In 2 years time they grew enough that the larger ones are about 3 to 4 inches across. I bet some of them grew 6 foot a year. So far so good no bugs in them yet

Its been a year and 7 months, are your ash sprouts still living? Certainly hope so.

I fear that when the ash are gone the borers will adapt to yet another species of tree.