On Tuesday, March 10 from 6 to 8 PM in the Ludlow Town Hall conference room, a forestry representative from the state will be training people on how to take an inventory of ash trees. This is part of the campaign to prepare for the onset of EAB (emerald ash borer) that has already reached Londonderry and many other parts of Vermont.

Since its discovery, EAB has:
* Killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in North America.

* Caused regulatory agencies and the USDA to enforce quarantines and fines to prevent potentially infested ash trees, logs or hardwood firewood from moving out of areas where EAB occurs.

* Cost municipalities, property owners, nursery operators and forest products industries hundreds of millions of dollars.

The training will involve the use of a specialized app offered by the state to categorize ash trees. Pictured above are the confirmed EAB infestations in Vermont. All abutting states and provinces have been infested with EAB.

This "silent crisis" will be hitting Ludlow and the surrounding area soon.

An inventory of public properties is the first order of business to prepare for dealing with EAB. It will also impact private properties. For some quick information on EAB, use the website, https://ludloweab.com/.

Volunteers are needed who are willing to undertake the process of identifying ash trees - both the healthy and infected ones, so that the area will be prepared to deal with this deadly - and costly, infestation.

In several months Ludlow will begin its own inventory process. Other area towns will probably follow suit.

Contact Ralph Pace at 802-228-7239 or ralphcpace@gmail.com if you plan to attend and for information.