March 20, 1919: 101 years ago

It may be spring on your calendar...but most trees aren’t quite ready.
 
This leafless specimen of white ash (Fraxinus americana) was collected on March 20, 1919  by  E.M. Gress in “Frick’s Woods” in Pittsburgh. Frick Park is now a major city park in Pittsburgh, much loved by many.  It became a city park in 1919 (the same year this specimen was collected!), bequeathed to the city upon the death of industrialist Henry Clay Frick.  Earnest Milton Gress was the state botanist for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. While we don't know for sure why Dr. Gress collected this specimen (and at least 6 others), it may be as part of property surveys for a possibly new public park.
 
As you can see from this specimen, white ash is usually still leafless this early in the spring. White ash is an economically and important species in Pennsylvania, with a wide distribution across the eastern US.  However, white ash (and other ash species) are in rapid decline due to the introduction of the Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis), a beetle native to north-eastern Asia. The beetle lays eggs under the bark  of the species, and the larvae feed on the tree. It is causing the death of many ashes in North America and Europe. It was first discovered in the US in Michigan in 2002, and first documented  in Pennsylvania in 2012.  It is a relatively recent introduction. As an active invasion, the consequences are  still developing.  Read more here about emerald ash borer’s wide-ranging impacts to our forests:  https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/jrnl/2019/nrs_2019_knight_001.pdf
 
Side note: The label shows the specimen was once part of the “Herbarium of Bureau of Economic Zoology, Penna. Dept. Agr. Harrisburgh, PA.”  Who knew the bureau of zoology (animals) had an herbarium!?
 
Find this specimen and the other specimens Gress collected at “Frick’s Woods” here: http://midatlanticherbaria.org/portal/collections/list.php?db=all&county=allegheny&eventdate1=March+20%2C+1919