Highlighting the regional impact of the exotic Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), Patricia Lockwood, EAB policy director for Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, and Mitch Irwin, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA), will host Ohio Governor Bob Taft during a tour of Southeastern Michigan’s EAB devastation on Wednesday, August 24, 2005. The aggressive beetle has taken on regional significance since its initial detection in Michigan in June 2002 as EAB populations have also been found in Canada, Ohio and Indiana.

“Over the last three years, significant strides have been made against EAB thanks to partnerships and collaboration across state and federal agencies such as those with our southern border partners,” said Lockwood. “The successful containment of EAB hinges on the cooperative efforts of each state, business and citizen.”

Since 2002, there have been significant accomplishments made in the battle against the beetle in Michigan,
for example:

• Outlying EAB infestations in four Michigan counties (Berrien, Calhoun, Eaton, and Saginaw) have been successfully eradicated.
• Approximately 22,000 detection trees have been set, which provided the early detection of six pest populations outside the quarantined area.
• Southeast Michigan marshalling yards have properly disposed of more than 300,600 tons of dead and dying
  ash material.
• An innovative program to lower tree removal costs for homeowners and communities in the infested areas by utilizing the state’s contract system as a vehicle for pooling demand and generate savings was created.
• A plant pest checkpoint was established at the Mackinac Bridge to halt the flow of potentially infested material into the Upper Peninsula, Wisconsin and the nation.
• Regulatory enforcement efforts have been strengthened with increased criminal penalties and fines for quarantine violators ranging from $1,000 to $250,000 and jail time of up to five years.
• A protocol of removing all known positive trees in the northern gateway areas and using stress trees to keep the pest in one area.

“I appreciate the opportunity to show Governor Taft the devastating impact of this pest in Michigan,” said Irwin. “Based on what we know about the ash borer’s geographic distribution, successful containment of this pest will be determined on a regional basis with adequate federal funding.”

EAB, an exotic and aggressive beetle native to Asia, is currently responsible for the death or damage of approximately 15 million ash trees in the Lower Peninsula. The Michigan Cooperative EAB Response Project partners include: Michigan Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Forest Service.

For more information, please visit www.michigan.gov/eab or www.emeraldashborer.info, or contact your regional MDA or Michigan State University Extension Office.