I would love it if you guys are right, I wouldn't count on it, though.
It is true, not a single variety of American Ash shows the slightest resistance to EAB. It could theoretically wipe out the entire population very quickly (it has already spread significantly faster than Elm or American Chestnut blight). Then, theoretically the EAB would die off, and we could start replanting harvested seeds, and theoretically all of the trade we do with asia will never send the EAB back over here...
I have a ton of 16"+ DBH white ash on my property. Fortunately, it is a diverse northern hardwood forest, so it will be... ok... once EAB shows up and kills them all in 1-3 years. But make no mistake, EAB is coming for them all. I've read about the asian wasp trials and all. Everything being done right now is all about slowing the spread, and hoping for a miracle. Most of the literature won't come right out and say it, you have to read between the lines, but they have no game plan for stopping extinction. Just hope. Some foresters and entomologists will come right out and say they are done for.
Really sad. It makes me sick. American Ash is in a league of its own. It grows extremely fast. Is just as good of a hardwood as slow growing oak and maple. It is a pioneer species, they show up in my fields every summer and fall.
Really, black locust is not as good a tree as Ash. But IMO nothing will fill the void of when our Ash are gone, other than cheap chinese junk that's filling up our dumps.
I also should add, Ash produce seed once they are 10+ year old. The seed lives for 1-2 years after it drops. In areas of michigan where the infestation killed all the mature ash, and the seedlings were allowed to live for 8-10 years, the borers came back and killed the sapling ash off before they could produce seed.
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