Now You See It, Now You Don't!
TellzAll's subject for August is the Ash Tree
Throughout history, human beings have used trees to cook food, to make construction material for buildings, to heat their homes, and even to make paper. Trees have always been an important resource for human beings, providing people with many different items that they need to survive and thrive.
Today, there are fewer trees in the United States of America than there were just one hundred years ago. The principal reason for the declining number of trees is the tremendous growth in population in the United States. In 1860, only 32 million people lived in the United States. In 2000, nearly 300 million people lived in this country. American citizens have chopped trees down to make farmland to feed the growing number of people. They also have deforested much of the United States to make room for homes and businesses.
While the greatest threat that trees have faced over the past century has been human beings, one particular tree-the ash tree-is in danger for an additional reason. The emerald ash borer, a type of beetle, feeds on the ash tree, eventually killing it. The beetle lays its eggs on the ash tree, and when its larva hatches, the larva feeds on the tree.
Scientists believe that the emerald ash borer arrived in North America in the late 1990s. In all likelihood, they came to North America from Asia, probably arriving in contaminated lumber from that continent. Scientists estimate that more than 7 billion ash trees exist in North America. Already, the emerald ash borer has killed millions of trees, especially in Ontario, Canada and in Michigan, Ohio, and other states within the United States
The ash tree is a hardwood tree. Historically, human beings have used wood from this tree especially to produce guitars and various forms of sporting equipment, including bows and baseball bats. While billions of these trees still exist, if attempts to contain the emerald ash borer's spread do not work, ash trees may soon not exist at all in the United States.
