Potential impacts of emerald ash borer on wildlife in black ash wetlands

by Brad Robideau, University of Minnesota
February 28, 2022

Black ash wetlands cover approximately 1.2 million acres of wetland forest in the western Great Lakes. They are an ecologically significant part of Minnesota’s landscapes and provide critical habitat for wildlife. 

However, new research from the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) at the University of Minnesota Duluth finds the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB) threatens to irreversibly alter the structure and functioning of black ash-dominated wetlands throughout northeastern North America. Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).

The study was recently published in the journal Ecological Applications and represents a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts of EAB and associated adaptation strategies on wildlife species dependent on black ash wetland forests. 

Keep reading: https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/potential-impacts-emerald-ash-borer-wildlife-black-ash-wetlands

Read the Ecological Applications paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/eap.2567