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The city of Wilsonville had to take down this tree due to the spread of Mediterranean oak borer .
TRACKING THE MOB :
Wilsonville residents will soon have access to oak borer database
By KAELYN CASSIDY Pamplin Media Group
Wilsonville residents will soon be able to track the Mediterranean oak borer pests in the city with an online database .
At a Jan . 4 meeting of the Wilsonville City Council , city staff updated councilors about measures taken to combat the invasive pest killing Wilsonville ’ s oak trees . The Mediterranean oak borer was discovered in Wilsonville in late summer last year , prompting the removal of many Oregon white oak trees throughout the city .
Trees that are under stress are the most vulnerable to the detrimental effects of infestation , and due to droughts , climate change , storms and more , nearly all of Wilsonville ’ s trees are under some sort of stress . There isn ’ t much research to go off of , but city staff informed the council that advice from experts with the Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Forestry is to treat trees with fungicide and insecticide before they show signs of infestation .
“ We ’ re probably looking two to three years out before we have substantial research that really can allow us to know exactly how to provide advice and how to handle both the prevention of MOB as well as what we do once we have trees that show the presence of them ,” city planner Georgia McAlister said during
COURTESY PHOTO
the meeting .
Soon , the public will have access to a live online database that identifies trees that have been infested , treated , removed and more . The data will be housed in Cartegraph , and will include links to information about the insect , where to report signs of infestation and photos to help identify signs . The city will also use the software for reminders to re-treat trees .
“ We will have this for the public to use eventually . Right now , we ’ re still making sure that it works for us as staff ,” McAlister said during the meeting .
This year , ODA will expand its trapping effort to determine where in the state the insect is present . Some suspect that cities hit the hardest by the 2021 ice storm will have higher Mediterranean oak borer populations , McAlister said during the meeting , because stressed and injured trees release chemicals that can attract insects . This may be why Wilsonville seems to have so many infestations , she said .
“ I think when they put the traps out , and we have that information in the fall , we might start seeing patterns of other communities that were impacted by that ice storm or had other storms , and seeing concentrations there ,” McAlister said during the meeting . “ I think until we have more information about statewide , it ’ s hard to say , but we ’ ve all suspected that that ice storm has to do with why we ’ re so impacted right now .”
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