October 5, 2007

LANSING - Michigan’s Cooperative Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Response Project partners today confirmed a second EAB infestation in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.). The infestation was discovered during the removal and inspection of a 2007 detection tree and is located near the town of Moran in Brevort Township in Mackinac County (about 15 miles northwest of the Mackinac Bridge).

In 2005, an EAB infestation at Brimley State Park marked the first time EAB had been found in the U.P. The infestation was eradicated through removal of all ash host material in the area.

Approximately 4,000 detection trees were strategically selected at varying densities in every county in the U.P. during the fall of 2006. Selected ash trees were “girdled” - a process removing a ring of bark from the tree - to stress the trees.

“The second discovery of EAB in the U.P. is extremely unfortunate and further underscores the importance of not moving hardwood firewood,” said Don Koivisto, Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) director. “The EAB Response Project partners are quickly assessing the situation to develop an effective, science-based plan to eradicate this infestation.”

Over the next several weeks, crews will be conducting intensive surveys in a half-mile area around the Moran site to determine the extent of EAB infestation. The results of those surveys will determine what action the state will take.

Emerald Ash Borer is an exotic, aggressive beetle native to Asia and was discovered in southeast Michigan in 2002. To date, the pest is responsible for the death or damage of approximately 25 million ash trees in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ontario, Canada.

Residents are encouraged to continue to report suspect EAB infestations in the U.P. or in Quarantine Level II of the Lower Peninsula by calling the toll-free EAB hotline at 866-325-0023. For more information about EAB, please visit www.michigan.gov/eab or www.emeraldashborer.info. Residents may also contact their regional MDA office or their local Michigan State University extension or conservation district office.