Bore killed ash

[Lee Lobbestael]

Hey guys, I got ahold of some ash that was killed by emerald ash bore. It has some surface bug damage but I can chase a ring underneath the damage. Is wood killed by emerald ash bore still suitable for making a self bow?
I tried making one right after it was cut but it broke. I assume it was because the wood was still wet because I went right from bark on log to bow in bout two days assuming it to be dry because it had been dead for awhile.

[mater]

Ive been splitting some for firewood. Its full of bugs/holes all the way through it. I cant imagine you could make a selfbow with all that damage. But Im no selfbow expert.  Mark

[John Scifres]

Depends.  I'd guess there was some decay if it was cut dead.  Whitewoods rot pretty quickly.

[Don Stokes]

BURN THAT WOOD!!!

The emerald ash borer is devastating the ash trees throughout the north central US, centered around Michigan where they got started, and is spreading in spite of quarantines. It has now reached the east coast, and has been found as far west as Missouri and as far south as Kentucky. If they're not stopped, these imported bugs will kill every ash tree in the United States. ALL infected ash wood should be burned immediately. The grubs that make the holes can mature into adult beetles that fly to the nearest ash tree and kill it, too.

DON'T USE IT! BURN IT, RIGHT NOW!!

This is serious, folks. I work with people every day whose livelihoods are being threatened by the spread of this and other foreign insects that have hitchhiked their way from other countries to ours. There is an International program in place now to try to control the spread of bugs in our country and throughout the world, and the company I work for is heavily involved in helping to stop these pests. I drove about 300 miles today visiting companies who are also helping in this fight, auditing their progress.

And besides all that, the wood is no good for bows after the borers have riddled it.

[levibear]

What Don Said!!!!!  :eek:

[Pat B]

If this is the ash bore that only effects the cambium layer and not the wood and you get it before it is dead, the wood should be good for bows.  If it is a bore that goes into the wood, forget it!
  The ones I've seen has had trails in the grain below the cambium but it didn't go any deeper. I don't even think it affects the top ring anyway just leaves a telltale sign.

[Don Stokes]

Pat, the emerald ash borer does penetrate the wood beyond the cambium, although it usually doesn't go more than an inch or two in. Regardless, THE WOOD SHOULD NOT BE USED, PERIOD! BURN IT!!!

Ash wood is excellent firewood, although the BTU value is not as high as oak or hickory. If used for firewood, it should not be transported more than a short distance from where the tree died. Firewood seems to be the main vector for the spread of the bugs. In Missouri, the borers were found first at a campground, where it is thought that someone brought infected firewood from one of the quarantined areas.

If someone builds a bow from infected wood, carries it to a shoot somewhere, breaks the bow and leaves it behind, that person could be responsible for spreading the bugs. Don't do it!

Heat will kill the grubs in the wood. The wood has to be heated to about 170 degrees F at the core for a half hour or more to kill them. Currently all ash wood from the quarantined areas must be heat-treated or fumigated and documented under a USDA program before it can be transported out of the quarantined areas.