Ominous signs

This morning we were walking in the small forest near our house, looking for signs of spring (we didn't find any, they are all covered with snow). The kids found another hollow tree and called me over to take a look.

To a child, a hollow tree is fascinating. It looks like a great place for animals and insects to hide, for birds to build nests. It has lots of possibilities. All of these things are true, however, I am starting to see a different story unfold.

All forests have trees in various stages of growth, some are brand new saplings, others are dead stumps rotting back to the earth. You expect to see some dead trees in a forest. What is becoming worrisome though is the number of trees like the one in the above photo. They have been eaten from the inside out by insects.

There are two main culprits that come to mind, the Asian Longhorn Beetle and the Emerald Ash Borer. Last summer when I was walking through this forest I noticed some unusual contraptions hanging in the trees. When I looked closer, they had a note attached to them stating they were insect traps for a scientific study. I suspect it is the Emerald Ash Borer. I haven't identified the trees we are finding, next time I'm out I'll look a little closer to see if they are ash trees. It's hard without the leaves.

I am wondering what the little forest will look like this spring. If it is the Emerald Ash Borer, they will come in and remove the dead trees. The forest will look very different this year if that is the case.