Model for Dispersal of the Emerald Ash Borer

For this project, the intern will be building a probabilistic model to predict how an individual emerald ash borer searches for host trees. The emerald ash borer is an exotic beetle which most likely arrived in North America in wood packing material carried in cargo ships. The beetle larvae feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients. The results of the research will be used in a larger risk model being formulated by the Knowledge Synthesis Group at the Canadian Forest Service. The intern will also build an integro-difference equation model to predict the spatial spread of the emerald ash borer based on results from the probabilistic model. The results of this model will also be used in the formulation of the risk model.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. James Watmough

Student:

Jeff Musgrave

Partner:

Canadian Forest Service

Discipline:

Mathematics

Sector:

Forestry

University:

University of New Brunswick