Date: Aug 10, 2018 Author: John Fryar Source: Times-Call (
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Longmont will be gathering data from drone flights to help determine the spread of the destructive emerald ash borer in parts of a southwest area of the city.
The drone, or unmanned aircraft system, was flown Thursday over the trees in Valley Park, 28 Troxell Ave., as well as over some in a residential neighborhood north of Twin Peaks Golf Course, 1200 Cornell Drive, according to city forestry supervisor Ken Wicklund.
The emerald ash borer is a non-native, wood-boring beetle that can attach to all ash tree species. This insect was first discovered in Michigan in 2002, and since then it has spread to 22 states, including Colorado.
The ash tree is a very commonly planted tree in many communities. The emerald ash borer has killed tens of millions of ash trees in the United States. Once the emerald ash borer population builds in numbers, ash mortality is near 100 percent.
Aurora-based Arbor Drone LLC, a consulting company that specializes in aerial urban forestry and Spectrabotics LLC, a Colorado Springs-based data analytics firm, are collecting data from the drone flights over Longmont.
The companies stated in a news release that the Longmont drone flights are using a multispectral sensor — a high-resolution sensor that collects light in both the visible and infrared spectrums to study plant health — to find recently attacked ash trees to help the city's urban foresters monitor and plan for the destructive pest.
Wicklund said in an interview that Thursday's Arbor Drone flights were "kind of a test" of the potential of using that system in surveying and monitoring tree health in other parts of Longmont, particularly in city parks and open space areas — a technological approach that could help, he said, because emerald ash borer tree infestations can be difficult to detect in their early stages.
Authorities have said it can take several years before an infested tree shows visible signs of decline.
Dan Staley, a principal of Arbor Drone and the pilot in charge of Thursday's project, said one benefit of the overflight and sensor technology to identify emerald ash borer infested trees is that "once you find it, you can define it and follow it."
Staley said it could be three to four weeks before Arbor Drone and Spectrabotics reports back to Longmont the results of their analysis of Thursday's overflight.
Arbor Drone and Spectrabotics performed similar emerald ash borer detection and monitoring studies in Denver and Boulder in 2017, and in Denver and in several sites in Boulder County in 2018.
Boulder first discovered and confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer in September 2013.
The first sighting of emerald ash borer reported in Longmont was on June 6, 2016, when an ash tree on private land in the vicinity of Ninth Avenue and Hover Street was reported by an arborist as potentially infected with the insect.
Since then, the pest has also been found in Lafayette, Gunbarrel, Lyons and Superior.
Longmont city officials said Longmont is estimated to have an ash tree population of approximately 43,000 trees on public and private properties and the city is working to protect 900 of the approximately 2,800 city--owned ash trees in Longmont.
Wicklund said Longmont has removed about 400 trees and treated 944 since the pest was initially found two years ago, all on city owned properties. He said most of the emerald ash borer infested trees identified in the city thus far have been on private property.
On Nov. 12, 2013, the Colorado Department of Agriculture established a quarantine zone around Boulder County, the city of Erie, and the Republic Landfill (north Jefferson County) off of Colo. 93. Trees and tree limbs from within the county and that Jefferson County area cannot be taken elsewhere for disposal, for firewood, or for other purposes.
The state agriculture department and Colorado State Forest Service have published a number of emerald ash borer tips for Boulder County and Front Range residents:
• Determine now if you have any ash trees. Identifying features of ash trees include compound leaves with five to nine leaflets; leaflets, buds and branches growing directly opposite from one another; and diamond-shaped bark ridges on mature trees. More information about a related app for mobile devices is available at www.csfs.colostate.edu/emerald-ash-borer.
• If you have an ash tree, start planning. Decide if the overall health of the tree merits current or future treatment or if it would be best to remove and replace it with a different species. If you aren't sure, contact a certified arborist. If pesticide treatment is the preferred option, the applicator must be licensed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture as a commercial pesticide applicator.
• Recognize signs of EAB infestation. Property owners with ash trees should be on the lookout for thinning of leaves in the upper tree canopy, 1/8-inch D-shaped holes on the bark and vertical bark splitting with winding S-shaped tunnels underneath. Report suspect trees by calling the Colorado Department of Agriculture at 888-248-5535 or filling out their EAB report form at www.colorado.gov/pacific/agplants/eab-identification-and-reporting.
• Be aware of EAB imposters. Other insects such as lilac/ash borer, ash bark beetle and flat-headed apple tree borer might look like EAB or cause similar tree symptoms. For more information, visit www.eabcolorado.com.
• Help prevent further spread of EAB. Do not transport ash or any hardwood firewood, or any other untreated ash wood products, to other locations. Boulder County and some surrounding areas are under a federal EAB quarantine, allowing for significant fines for those who move untreated wood from the area.
