August 7, 2008

LANSING - Michigan’s Cooperative Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Response Project partners today confirmed an EAB infestation in Houghton County in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.). The infestation was discovered thanks to a concerned citizen who called Michigan State University’s Cooperative Extension Service to report dying ash trees. The infestation is located in Laurium (located southeast of Calumet) in Calumet Township in Houghton County.

“The discovery of EAB this far west in the U.P. is very unfortunate, but it’s not unexpected, and further underscores the importance of not moving hardwood firewood,” said Ken Rauscher, Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division Director, Michigan Department of Agriculture. “The EAB Response Project partners are quickly assessing the situation.”

The only other known infestations in the Upper Peninsula are located in Mackinac County near Moran and St. Ignace. Both locations are of limited size and are just north of the Mackinac Bridge. These sites are being used as pilot mitigation projects as part of cooperative Slow Ash Mortality (SLAM) efforts sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture.

“Michigan is currently participating in a nationwide survey using purple ‘traps’ designed to detect the pest and create a national footprint of where the beetle is located,” said Rauscher. “The entire Upper Peninsula is being monitored for this pest by state and federal cooperative EAB partners.”

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, Missouri, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada.

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, as well as all species of hardwood firewood.

Residents are encouraged to continue to report suspect EAB infestations in the U.P. 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.