November 13, 2002 - State officials today issued an urgent reminder to Southeast Michigan residents, vacationers and hunters who travel to cabins up north or other destinations and regions of the state: "Do not transport ash firewood or move ash trees and product outside of the area."

The Emerald Ash Borer, an exotic pest from Asia that has been detected in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties, has already killed or damaged millions of ash trees in this six-county area. It belongs to a group of insects known as metallic wood-boring beetles and is not native to Michigan or anywhere in the United States. The known host range of the Emerald Ash Borer is limited to species of ash trees (identified by their distinctive leaves, which are located directly across from each other on the leaf stem). In Michigan, most ash are white, black or green ash.

To prevent and control the spread of the borer, the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) earlier this year issued a quarantine on all ash trees and products in the affected counties. Under this quarantine, it is illegal to move ash trees, branches, lumber, firewood and wood chips larger than one inch in diameter outside these six counties.

"It is vitally important that Southeast Michigan residents are aware of this threat and are doing their part to help the state limit the spread of this new and devastating ash tree pest," said MDA Director Dan Wyant.

Wyant added that firewood may appear healthy and not visibly infested but may carry the Emerald Ash Borer larvae in its dormant stage. Don’t be responsible for the spread of this devastating pest by moving ash trees and products outside of these affected counties or by taking firewood on vacation with you. Travelers who realize they have inadvertently moved firewood out of this area, are advised to burn it completely and report it via the state’s toll-free Emerald Ash Borer hotline (866/325-0023). Additionally, if the type of firewood is unknown, travelers are asked not to move it.

To help ensure Michigan residents are aware of the Emerald Ash Borer and the ways they can help prevent its spread and damage, the state is launching additional public information efforts this week. These efforts include a three-week run of radio public service announcements in the Southeast Michigan area and placing educational posters and brochures at outdoor retail centers, visitor centers, rest stops, state parks and forest campgrounds in selected areas across the state.

For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/mda and use the key word "ash borer." To report any signs of dying ash trees, especially outside the six-county quarantined area, call the state’s toll-free Emerald Ash Borer Hotline at 866/325-0023. For assistance with identification, diagnosis and recommendations regarding pests like the Emerald Ash Borer, contact your local Michigan State University (MSU) Extension Office or the MSU Plant Diagnostics Services (part of the University’s Center for Integrated Plant Systems) at 517/355-4536 or online at www.cips.msu.edu/diagnostics/.

Michigan has an active Emerald Ash Borer Task Force in place, working to control and eradicate this new exotic pest and minimize its damage. Members include MDA, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, MSU, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Forest Service, in cooperation with local units of government and various industry groups, associations, and universities.