MI: COUNTIES IN THE UPPER PENINSULA ADDED TO EMERALD ASH BORER QUARANTINE
News Date December 08, 2009
The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) today revised its Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) quarantine to include three additional counties in the Upper Peninsula (UP) – effective immediately. A new map is available at www.michigan.gov/eab.
Alger and Chippewa counties have been added to the EAB interior quarantine as a result of infestations discovered in the fall of 2009. Luce County was also added due to its geographic proximity to other quarantined UP counties. The UP counties of Delta, Houghton, Keweenaw, Mackinac, and Schoolcraft remain under quarantine.
MDA continues to ask hunters and other travelers not to move firewood to help prevent the artificial spread of the emerald ash borer. The ban on moving hardwood firewood north across the Mackinac Bridge remains in effect and quarantine violators can still face fines ranging from $1,000 to $250,000 and jail time of up to five years. Additionally, MDA’s Animal and Plant Health inspection station at the Mackinac Bridge remains in place to prevent hardwood firewood and other regulated material from entering the UP.
“MDA is still committed to protecting the ash resource in the U.P. from the artificial spread of EAB,” said Rauscher. “Although, travelers are able to freely move firewood throughout the Lower Peninsula, and now a larger area in the UP, we are urging them not to do so as there are other invasive insects besides emerald ash borer - such as Gypsy Moth, Asian Longhorned Beetle and Sirex Woodwasp - that can hitch a ride on it. Please continue to only use local sources of firewood, burn all you buy, and don’t take any unused firewood back home or to the next location.”
Additionally, MDA is reminding campers and hunters to purchase firewood locally when visiting state parks, recreation areas and state forest campgrounds as it is a violation of state land use rules to bring ash firewood onto state forests, state parks, recreation areas, and state forest campgrounds.
The infestation in Alger County is centered on the City of Munising. The Chippewa County infestation is in the area northeast of Brimley State Park.
The Alger County quarantine is divided into two levels - the City of Munising and the townships of AuTrain, Grand Island, and Munising are designated as Quarantine Level II, and the remaining portion of Alger County is Level III.
The Chippewa County quarantine is also divided into two levels: the City of Sault Ste. Marie and the townships of Bay Mills, Dafter, Soo (excluding Neebish Island), Sugar Island, and Superior are designated as Quarantine Level II, and the remaining portion of Chippewa County is Level III.
Luce County is designated as Quarantine Level III in its entirety.
The movement of hardwood firewood and other regulated material out of quarantine Level II and III areas is prohibited except regulated articles may move from Level III into Level II and from Level II in Mackinac Co. to the Lower Peninsula. EAB is an exotic insect native to Asia that attacks ash trees. In its larval stage, EAB feeds undetected under the bark of ash trees, disrupting water and nutrient flow - ultimately killing the trees in three to four years. First discovered in 2002, the borer is responsible for the death or damage of approximately 35 million ash trees in the LP
Additional information about EAB, quarantine details, and a map of the quarantine boundaries are available at www.michigan.gov/eab or www.emeraldashborer.info. (Contact: Jennifer Holton, holtonj@michigan.gov)