Tall Tall Tree, photo by Heather Higham

The Freep reports that the search is on for survivor ash trees in Ohio & southeastern Michigan:

Researchers studying a tree-killing beetle are asking residents in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan to help them with a scavenger hunt of sorts.

Scientists think there are few ash trees in the wild that have been able to withstand the emerald ash borer and are hoping that they could provide some clues about how they were able to fend off the destructive beetle.

“They just want to understand the mechanism,” said Jane Hodgins, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Research Station in Minnesota.

Researchers decided to focus on looking for these “survivor” trees in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan, because that’s where the ash borer first took hold in the United States, The Blade reported.

The beetle is native to Asia and arrived in the U.S. around more than a dozen years ago. It has since killed about 50 million ash trees in the Upper Midwest.

Some homeowners have been able to save their ash trees by treating them with insecticides, but the scientists are looking for trees that have survived on their own.

Read on for more.

View Heather’s photo bigger and see more in her Fall slideshow.

Please Note: I can’t see the leaves here so these trees that I think are ash might not be – looks awesome though! Also, if you think you just saw a photo from Heather here, way to pay attention!!

More trees on Michigan in Pictures.