May 23, 2008

LANSING, MI - As Memorial Day represents the start of Michigan’s traditional summer travel season, the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) is reminding travelers to leave firewood at home.

“Movement of firewood has caused the artificial spread of EAB to many parts of our great state,” said Ken Rauscher, MDA Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division Director. “Camping and campfires are a great Michigan tradition, and should continue to be so; but, it is extremely important to leave firewood at home and buy and use what you need when you get to your destination.”

Michigan residents and visitors need to adhere to Michigan’s quarantine banning the transport of ash trees, ash materials, and all hardwood firewood from quarantined areas. Quarantine violators face fines/penalties ranging from $1,000 up to $250,000 and face up to five years in jail if found guilty of transporting hardwood firewood
out of quarantine zones or the Lower Peninsula into the Upper Peninsula or
surrounding states.

Travelers are reminded that if they move regulated firewood, it could be confiscated, and fines may be issued to prevent the further spread of EAB. The Mackinac Bridge inspection station will continue to focus on preventing hardwood firewood and other regulated ash material from entering the Upper Peninsula.

EAB is an invasive insect native to Asia, discovered in Michigan in 2002. EAB attacks ash trees in its larval stage, feeding undetected under the bark, which disrupts water and nutrient flow, eventually killing the tree in three to five years. An estimated 20 million ash trees are already dead or dying in Michigan due to EAB infestations.

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