With Invasive Species Threatening to Eat Away at Ash Trees Across Western New York, Schumer Urges Senate Committee to Include Vital Funding for Eradication Efforts in Agriculture Appropriations Bill

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With Invasive Species Threatening to Eat Away at Ash Trees Across Western New York, Schumer Urges Senate Committee to Include Vital Funding for Eradication Efforts in Agriculture Appropriations Bill

Western New York Ash Trees In Danger of Falling Prey to Emerald Ash Borer—Invasive Green Bug that Stops the Flow of Nutrients in Trees and Kills them Off Within Four Years

As EAB and Other Invasive Species Spread Across the Country and Threaten to Enter NYS Via Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, Schumer Pushes for $90 Million in Agriculture Appropriations Bill to Help Eradicate EAB and Others

Schumer: Federal Dollars Key to Ensuring Western New York's Trees Survive and Cities Aren't Slammed with Cost of Removal

With trees across Western New York threatened by a spread of invasive species in forests throughout the country, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged a Senate committee to include $90 million in the FY2009 Agriculture Appropriations bill to help fight the growing threat. Most notably, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)—an iridescent green bug that has already killed over 25 million ash trees—threatens to wreak havoc on ash trees across Western New York, as the region is home to two key entry points for invasive species: Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.

To prevent the bug from entering New York and spreading across Western New York, Schumer and his senate colleagues wrote to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies, under the Senate Appropriations Committee, urging them to include $90 million in the FY2009 Agriculture Appropriations bill for the study and eradication of EAB and other invasive species that threaten forests.

"We must act immediately to ensure the precious forests across Western New York aren't devastated by this dangerous bug," said Schumer. "Dutch Elm showed us the caliber of damage invasive species can bring to our trees—providing this funding is essential to ensuring our forests survive and our local governments aren't slammed with the cost of removing hundreds of thousands of infected trees."

EAB is expected to enter Western New York and the North Country sometime this year, with potential damages comparable to Dutch Elm disease. In anticipation of the threat, cities across Upstate New York have stopped planting new ash trees. If the disease continues unchecked, local governments will be forced to shoulder the enormous burden of tree removal and replanting. The threat to ash trees also imperils industries that rely on ash wood, such as furniture, flooring and baseball bat manufacturing.

The Emerald Ash Borer was first detected in 2002 in Michigan, and has thusfar killed over 25 million trees. So far, forests in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia have been quarantined in efforts to stop the spread of EAB. It is believed to have been brought over to the U.S. via Asian cargo ships.

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and his senate colleagues called on the Senate Appropriations Committee to include sufficient funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Schumer and his colleagues sent a letter to the Appropriations Committee calling for $90 million for the study of EAB and related invasive species in the FY2009 Agriculture Appropriations Bill. The request includes $45 million for Emerald Ash Borer, $30 million for the Asian Longhorned Beetle, $10 million for Sudden Oak Death and $5 million for Sirex Woodwasp.

"Programs to contain these critical threats to our nation's forests have been under-funded for years, enabling these invasive species to persist and spread," the Senators noted in their letter.

EAB works by burrowing under the bark of ash trees and stopping the flow of nutrients to the top of the tree. This causes the upper leaves of the tree to fall off, while the tree suffocates to death. Once infected, a tree will die within four years. It was first detected in Michigan in 2002 and, since then, is estimated to have infected and killed over 25 million trees.

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