EMERALD ASH BORER INFO

Important Information!

This is an update of the ongoing process to control the Emerald Ash Borer.  Please look over this information as it has the potential to cause a significant economic impact to the livelihood of a large number of people and many that are not directly employed by the lumber and landscape industries.  Your cooperation and diligence are imperative to the success in controlling the movement of this exotic pest.  This species is not native to North America and does not have any natural predators.  Therefore, until the agencies that are looking for measures to control this pest are successful, we are the only line of defense.

 

Most of us are too young to have any first hand knowledge of the spread of Dutch Elm Disease.  But by the middle of the 20^th century the disease had killed most all of the Native American elm trees.  There are a few elm trees in our forests and landscapes now but most are Chinese elm or a hybrid tree that were far more resistant to the disease than the native trees.  Many scientists and researchers have likened the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer to that of Dutch Elm Disease.  Most have also agreed that the long term effects and losses could rival that of the elm disease.  Our diligence now could minimize the long term effects.

 

As many of you have heard thru the local news and newspapers, western Pennsylvania has fallen victim to the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer.  This is an exotic pest that was imported from overseas in the mid to late 1990’s in wood packing materials.  The first indication of this pest was discovered in the Detroit area in the mid 2002 and has spread to areas throughout Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin and Southern Ontario. 

 

The Federal Government has quarantined the states of MI, IL, IN, OH and certain counties in the states of PA, WV, VA, MD, MN, MO and WI.  This quarantine affects any industry, business, individual that deals with or handles hardwood firewood, ash wood or ash nursery stock. This includes, but is not limited to, the general public, commercial firewood dealers, retail firewood sellers, nursery owners & growers and the timber industry including sawmills, wood haulers, wood brokers, etc.

 

The EAB natural rate of spread is approximately one half to one mile per year.  The most prominent reason for the rapid spread of this pest is the movement of contaminated firewood and nursery stock.  Federal and state regulations prohibit the movement of certain hardwood products out of the quarantined areas.  A Federal quarantine is imposed for Butler, Lawrence, Allegheny, Beaver and Mifflin counties in the state of Pennsylvania. 

 

The Federal and Pennsylvania’s quarantine restricts the movement from the quarantine area of ash nursery stock, green lumber and any other ash material, including logs, stumps, roots and branches, and all wood chips.  Due to the difficulty in distinguishing between species of hardwood firewood, all hardwood firewood—including ash, oak, maple and hickory—are considered quarantined.

Since many species of wood-boring insects, including the Emerald Ash Borer can be spread through transport of infested firewood and logs, campers and homeowners are encouraged to: use only locally harvested firewood, burn all of it on-site; and not carry it to new locations.

 

This pest has the potential to have a significant impact on the economy of our country and especially our state.  Early detection and swift action can control the spread of the EAB.  Knowledge and Diligence are our biggest allies in the effort to control and eradicate this pest.  Below are some web sites that address questions regarding the EAB.

 

 

Emerald Ash Borer Web Site

Map of Federal quarantine areas

USDA EAB Quarantine Fact Sheet

USDA 2008 Emerald Ash Borer Survey 

Signs and Symptoms of EAB

PDA EAB Search Results