Blog Post 9

Ideally, it would have been better to conduct this research in the summertime because there are additional factors of emerald ash borer infestation in trees (eg. epicormic shoots, canopy dieback) that I could have noticed. Collecting more data from more plots would have also improved the level of certainty of my data. In hindsight, I did not know that the first signs of emerald ash borer infection (D-shaped exit holes) occur 2 years after infestation, so as much as I could have improved my methods there still would be a degree of inaccuracy in assessing the health of these trees due to the time lag. However, this did not discourage me. I was on the right track with this study by examining as many factors as I could in terms of infestation and learning that the age of a tree also indicates whether it will be infected (saplings were not infected). Despite my results being inconclusive it made me realize this project would have benefitted being conducted in a controlled setting. By planting ash trees in various plots at the same time you could eliminate age as a confounding variable. One could either wait and see what plots get infected first by EAB or you could introduce the same concentration of EAB larva in a plot and see how it propagates over time. A study like this would take longer and be more costly however, it would help draw better conclusions on how EAB develops and its effects on ash trees. This understanding would give land managers or conservation authorities a better time scale of how harmed they can expect infested woodlots to become. This is important because it gives them the opportunity to assess whether they wish to take cautionary measures to prevent the spread of EAB (eg. insecticide use) or if treatment options are not worth the cost.

Engaging in the process of ecology has made me realize the importance of the study design. By having a good plan for your research project before you go out to the field, you save yourself ample time and it progressively makes your data more accurate. For instance, when I first arrived at my site to record data, it occurred to me that I had no way of ensuring I would not double count trees. So I had to return home and bring along some chalk so I could mark trees.