EAB Roadside Ash Tree Survey

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation — along with its compatriots throughout the region — has become increasingly concerned about the threat of the Emerald Ash Borer to regional forest lands and arboreal life within our towns and cities. Fully 10% of Vermont’s tree life consists of ash varieties, and predictions are for greater than 90% mortality among ash trees within the next decade. This invasive insect presents a real threat to forest health, with impacts on biodiversity throughout the associated ecosystems. Likewise, tree die-off presents a significant public safety threat and public expense.

The Dummerston Conservation Commission has enlisted in the Roadside Ash Inventory initiative designed and supported by the Dept. of Forestry. Our goal is to manually survey the rights-of-way along all of Dummerston’s town-managed roadways, digitally collecting location, size, and health statistics on all the ash trees found within the ROW. The initial survey data will be provided to the state database, as well as to our town highway department and utility companies.

Our hope is to follow up on the initial data collection each year to monitor ash tree health in the town and to monitor the progression of the emerald ash borer within the town limits.