Emerald Ash Borer Management and Research: Decades of Damage and Still Expanding

Abstract

Since the discovery of the ash tree ( Fraxinus spp.) killer emerald ash borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis) in the United States in 2002 and Moscow, Russia in 2003, substantial detection and management efforts have been applied to contain and monitor its spread and mitigate impacts. Despite these efforts, the pest continues to spread within North America. It has spread to European Russia and Ukraine and is causing sporadic outbreaks in its native range in China. The dynamics of EAB's range expansion events appear to be linked to the lack of resistant ash trees in invaded ranges, facilitated by the abundance of native or planted North American susceptible ash species. We review recently gained knowledge of the range expansion of EAB; its ecological, economic, and social impacts; and past management efforts with their successes and limitations. We also highlight advances in biological control, mechanisms of ash resistance, and new detection and management approaches under development, with the aim of guiding more effective management. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Entomology, Volume 69 is January 2024. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Forest Site and Stand Structure Affecting the Distribution of Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, 1888 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), in Eastern Ukraine

“…The survival success of a non-indigenous species in establishing itself in a new region is contingent upon favorable climatic conditions [49,50], a sufficient number of host trees [51], and a minimum in competitors or entomophagous [52,53]. Therefore, various approaches to predicting the EAB spread have considered climatic conditions favorable for pest survival and propagation [33,49,54,55], the spread of a host plant [12,56], landscape and stand characteristics [57], the possibility of active adult migration along the roads and the passive spread of larvae with wood chips [32], other trunk fragments with bark, and various combinations [6].…”

“…It has been demonstrated that EAB is well-adapted to temperature variations [6]. Particularly in Ukraine, using the MaxEnt model and 19 bioclimatic variables [9] resulted in high accuracy (AUC = 0.988) in predicting EAB invasion for 87% (Luhansk), 48% (Kharkiv), and 32% (Donetsk).…”

“…Over the past two decades, the range of EAB has expanded and continues to increase. Numerous kinds of research were devoted to predicting the ecological, economic, and social impacts of EAB, and management efforts based on studies of its host preference, cold tolerance, and many other features are summarized in well-known reviews [3,6]. Despite the diligent efforts of scientists and practitioners, EAB's relentless spread is evident, currently documented in 36 US states, 5 Canadian provinces, and 20 regions of Russia [6].…”