August 5, 2003 - To further contain and stop the spread of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), seven counties – Genesee, Ingham, Jackson, Lapeer, Lenawee, Shiawassee, and St. Clair – have been added to the state’s EAB quarantine, according to Dan Wyant, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA). Under the quarantine, it is illegal to move ash trees, branches, lumber, firewood and other materials unless chipped to one inch in diameter from the included counties.

The order, effective immediately, also:

• Establishes a one-year moratorium prohibiting the sale and movement of ash nursery stock from, into and within Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, with a full review slated a year from now to determine whether it should be continued;
• Bans the movement of all firewood of ANY species from the now 13 quarantined counties; and
• Further prohibits the movement of any ash materials, including logs, branches and other items unless chipped to 1 inch or less, and firewood of any species, from within the core EAB-infested zone to anywhere else in the quarantined area or state.
  (NOTE: Please click here for a map of the current EAB core zone and expanded quarantine area.)

“Based on survey data and the pattern of EAB “outliers” that we have been gathering and reviewing over the past few weeks, these actions were determined necessary and appropriate to help ensure Michigan is doing everything it can to stem the spread of this destructive insect and protect its valuable ash resources,” Wyant said.

The Emerald Ash Borer, a destructive exotic beetle from Asia that feeds on ash trees, was initially discovered in the summer of 2002 in six Southeast Michigan counties (Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne). These six counties were under the original state quarantine and will remain part of the expanded quarantined area. To date, EAB has killed or damaged almost six million ash trees in this six-county area.

Since then, infestations of the borer have also been identified in Genesee, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, and St. Clair counties. Based on the method of infestation (artificially – either by transported landscape ash trees or ash firewood), survey data, geographic conditions and other information, these counties, along with Lapeer and Shiawassee, will be added to the quarantine.

EAB has also been detected in small pockets of areas in Eaton, Kent and Saginaw counties. Based on the best information available to date, these sites will be treated and managed as isolated infestations that can be eradicated, unless further survey results determine that the borer is more widespread.

The quarantine is a critical component of the state’s overall EAB eradication efforts. Residents’ compliance with the quarantine is integral to the success of the eradication plan and protecting the state’s 700 million ash trees.

Anyone who thinks they have inadvertently moved ash materials or firewood out of the new, expanded quarantined area, or who suspects an ash tree is infested that is outside of the quarantine, should report it immediately via the state’s toll-free EAB hotline at 866/325-0023.

Michigan has an active Emerald Ash Borer Task Force working to control and eradicate this new exotic pest and minimize its damage. Members include the Michigan Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, 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.

For more information, including a copy of the revised quarantine order and map, visit www.michigan.gov/mda and click on “Emerald Ash Borer” in the Spotlight section. Other EAB information may be found by visiting www.emeraldashborer.info, or by contacting your regional MDA and DNR office or local Michigan State University Extension office.

Links:

8/5/03 EAB Revised Quarantine Order

8/5/03 EAB Quarantine Map