Following a preliminary meeting of representatives from Mt Holly, Ludlow, Cavendish, and Weathersfield on August 5 in Ludlow, efforts are now a foot to consider creation of a regional group to help area towns deal with the onset the emerald ash borer (EAB) crisis.
At the initial Ludlow meeting, it was agreed that most towns will face the same problems dealing with the EAB threat to native ash trees.
Consequently, the attendees decided that efforts should be made to form a coalition of southern Windsor County towns and Mt Holly to help all the towns combat the problems associated with the EAB infestation.
Since that meeting, communications from other area towns has indicated that additional town in Windsor and Rutland County are interested in this project.
Ralph Pace, the tree warden for Ludlow, hosted the initial meeting. He noted that "since EAB doesn't recognize town or state borders, all of the involved towns will be faced with the same problems and needs".
Input from Weathersfield representatives helped define the manner in which ash tree inventory may be taken of trees on local public properties as well as helping private land owners assessing the EAB impact.
The group has set a meeting on Monday, September 9 at 10 AM in Ludlow Town Hall. Ludlow has agreed to participate in such a regional group. The primary purpose of the meeting will be to determine if a regionalized approach to the problem makes sense.
The EAB infestations have already been detected in the northern counties of Vermont as well as Bennington County to the south.
While the EAB beetle normally doesn't travel great distances, the dispersion of ash fire wood containing the larvae of the beetle has resulted in the faster spread of the infestation throughout the state. It is the larvae from the beetle's egg that damages the ash tree.
More information on the EAB problem may be found at ludloweab.com.
Contact Ralph Pace, (802) 228-7239 for more information about the meeting.
An agenda for the September 9 meeting in Ludlow will be distributed shortly.