How These Traps Are Helping Protect Boston's Beloved Elm Trees

Photo byTonia Kraakman on Pexels

The Friends of the Public Garden, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the renewal, care, and advocacy of the Boston Common Public Garden, has recently shed light on an ongoing battle against a significant threat to the park's Elm trees. The European Elm Bark Beetles (EEBB) are carriers of Dutch Elm Disease (DED), a devastating illness that poses a death sentence for most healthy or mature Elms.

According to the Friends of the Public Garden, "Not all of the insect Friends in our parks are friendly... European Elm Bark Beetles (EEBB) are carriers of Dutch Elm Disease (DED), a death-sentence for most healthy or senior Elms." Understanding that these beetles inhabit live trees rather than just dead or dying ones, the organization has emphasized the importance of maintaining the health of these trees. "Knowing the beetle takes residence in live trees, not just dead or dying trees, we must concentrate on getting and keeping these trees as healthy as possible. A tree’s health dictates how well it can defend itself against beetle breeding."

Efforts to protect the Elms focus on improving their nutrition and reducing stress, making the trees more robust and less susceptible to beetle infestation. The Friends of the Public Garden explained, "Focusing on nutrition, and reducing stress will help these trees become stronger, making it more difficult for the EEBB to exploit the tree."

Pheromone traps to monitor and control the beetle population.Photo byFriends of the Public Garden

In addition to these preventive measures, the organization has implemented pheromone traps to monitor and control the beetle population. "You may have seen these green boxes scattered across the parks, which are pheromone traps designed to attract the EEBB. For the last ten years the beetles have been monitored and carefully counted on each trap, twice a month, during the growing season. These beetle counts illustrate much about their activities, movement, and behaviors."

By using these traps, the organization aims to reduce the spread of beetles from infected trees to healthy ones. "By creating this trap, our approach reduces the dispersal of beetles from the felled tree, to otherwise unaffected specimens."

The Friends of the Public Garden's strategy includes regular pruning and inspection of the trees. "This sanitation strategy, combined with weekly pruning efforts, April-October, to visually inspect branches and send out samples to a lab for DED analysis while also removing weak or dead material, rounds out an effort that reduces both disease and the beetle from the site."

Through these diligent efforts, the Friends of the Public Garden are working tirelessly to protect and preserve the beautiful Elms of the Boston Common Public Garden from the threat of the European Elm Bark Beetles and Dutch Elm Disease.

To learn more about the Friends of the Public Garden visit www.facebook.com/Friendsofthepublicgarden.