FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — A paper by Tarleton State University students detailing damage done by the emerald ash borer has been published the journal Phytologia.
Kim Gamez and Keagan Lowey, along with professors Randy Rosiere from the Department of Animal Science and Veterinary Technology and Allan Nelson, professor of biological sciences, joined forces on the paper after research was done at the Timberlake Biological Field Station near Goldthwaite.
The paper described the plant bottomland community at the university’s biological station, which contains a significant amount of green ash, a tree considered critically imperiled due to deaths of ash trees caused by the emerald ash borer.
The beetle, responsible for the destruction of tens of millions of the trees in 30 states, has recently been observed at the Fort Worth Nature Center and could potentially spread across Texas where it could decimate all ash species.
The journal article can be viewed at: http://www.phytologia.org/uploads/2/3/4/2/23422706/100_2_128-144nelson_et_al_bottomland_forest.pdf.
The paper in Phytologia was not the only research being done at Tarleton on the subject.
Graduate student Turner Cotton had his recent work presented by Dr. Nelson for the Texas Plant Conservation Conference at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth. Dr. Rosiere was a co-author.
Turner’s work examined the kinds of plants that occur on Texas rivers in different ecoregions and discussed which ones would be best for riparian restoration across the state. One of the rivers included in the investigation was the Colorado River at Timberlake Biological Station, home to many of the endangered green ashes.
Tarleton,founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 13,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.
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Contact: Phil Riddle, News and Information Specialist
817-484-4415
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