April 3, 2008

LANSING - The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) will continue its survey efforts to locate exotic pests which threaten the state’s agricultural, forestry, and ecological resources, which represent nearly $64 billion of Michigan’s economic base. Michigan’s diverse agricultural economy, vast forest lands, large nursery industry, and busy ports-of-entry place the state at exceptionally high risk for the introduction and spread of exotic plant pests.

“In today’s global economy, the unintentional introduction of exotic plant pests is inevitable,” said Don Koivisto, MDA director. “Early detection is critical for the implementation of successful control, regulatory, and education measures to protect the continued viability of Michigan’s agriculture and natural resources.”

Since 2000, at least eight significant exotic plant pests have been discovered in Michigan, threatening the state’s wheat, potato, soybean, and stone fruit industries, as well as ash, beech, hemlock, and pine forests.

Exotic insects and diseases are transported inter-continentally in live plants and cut flowers, solid-wood packing materials like crates and pallets, and as hitchhikers in luggage and containerized cargo. Once established, they can move quickly through natural dispersal and, more importantly, through artificial spread in agricultural and forest commodities, ornamental plants and landscape trees, and firewood.

“Michigan’s agriculture sector produces more than 200 agricultural commodities, and with countless potential pests threatening them, there is no shortage of possible survey targets in Michigan,” said Ken Rauscher, MDA’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division director. “MDA depends almost entirely on the availability of small federal grants to help us detect the next emerald ash borer or Dutch elm disease before it’s too late.”

In 2008, MDA will focus its efforts on: monitoring the movement of emerald ash borer and sirex woodwasp; assessing the success of eradication measures against plum pox virus and hemlock woolly adelgid; and detecting new and unknown species of woodboring insects, forest defoliators, and apple pests.

MDA partners other agencies conducting similar survey activities, including: the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Michigan Technological University, and Michigan State University.

For more information on MDA’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division, visit www.michigan.gov/mda.