Weeds & Invasives

Notes from a long, slow argument with plants that show up where they are not wanted and that don’t take no for an answer.

Getting to Know the Ash Before the Borer Does

Field note 260819 · August 19, 2026 Some threats arrive with a bang. Emerald ash borer arrives quietly, a small beetle you'll probably never see. It has killed ash trees across much of the country, and it's in Oregon now. As of this August, it hadn't turned up in Benton County. We have Oregon ash along the creek, so I asked an OSU Extension forester what a landowner should do while there's still time. The answer was simpler than I expected: get to know your ash now. Why now W

Thinning & Planting

Peter H Wendel

Oct 272 min read