February 4, 2008

LANSING - Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Don Koivisto today announced an amendment to the state’s Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) interior quarantine to help prevent the further spread of the exotic insect in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.).

Effective immediately, Michigan’s EAB interior quarantine has been revised to include all of Mackinac County in the U.P. In fall 2007, EAB infestations were discovered near the Village of Moran and Straits State Park in St. Ignace. The Mackinac County quarantine is divided into two levels: the City of St. Ignace and the townships of Moran, Brevort, and St. Ignace are quarantine Level II; and the remaining portions of Mackinac County are quarantine Level III.

"Michigan’s natural resources continue to be at risk," said Koivisto. "Over the past several weeks, MDA staff conducted intensive surveys around both the Moran and St. Ignace sites to determine the extent of the infestation. The current quarantine revision prohibits the movement of ash material or hardwood firewood from quarantined areas in the U.P. or from the Lower Peninsula.”

EAB is an exotic insect native to Asia that attacks ash trees. In its larval stage, EAB feeds undetected under the bark of ash trees, disrupting water, and nutrient flow - ultimately killing the trees in three to four years. First discovered in 2002, the borer is responsible for the death or damage of approximately 20 million ash trees in the Lower Peninsula.

The movement of hardwood firewood is still prohibited from leaving the Lower Peninsula as it is the leading cause of spreading EAB. The inspection station at the Mackinac Bridge will also continue to prevent hardwood firewood and other regulated ash material from entering the Upper Peninsula.

Individuals or businesses found violating the state’s EAB quarantine are subject to fines ranging from $1,000 to $250,000 and jail time of up to five years for moving regulated ash materials, including firewood.

Additional information about EAB and a map of the quarantine boundaries are available at www.michigan.gov/eab or www.emeraldashborer.info.