We measured tree water potential of green ash trees, Fraxinus pennsylvanica (Marsh.), in urban landscapes of Champaign-Urbana, IL, to study the relationship between environmental stress and insect attack. Our studies suggested that trees under stress were more susceptible to attack by herbivorous insects, especially wood boring insects. This finding suggests that planting trees in stressful environments, such as paved parking lots, may render them more susceptible to insect damage than when they are planted in more natural, park-like settings.
Keywords: woody plant stress, wood borers
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA