Michigan Extends Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine in the U.P.
Baraga, Dickinson, Marquette, and Menominee Counties are now under effect.
Michigan is expanding its quarantine for the Emerald Ash Borer. State regulators are adding four counties in the Upper Peninsula to the quarantine list after the invasive species was found in Marquette and Dickinson Counties. Now, the movement of certain items, including most firewood, is prohibited in those areas. John Bedford is a Pest Response Program Specialist with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. He says the Lower Peninsula is already infested with the beetle.
“Emerald Ash Borer exists in every single county and it’s quite extensive. In the U.P., although it’s there in certain counties, it’s by no means as wide spread as it is in the Lower Peninsula so we’re just trying to slow the introduction of additional Emerald Ash Borer down by continuing that firewood restriction.”
John Bedford, Pest Response Program Specialist, MDARD
The state already restricts moving uncertified firewood from the Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula. Bedford says the Emerald Ash Borer kills about 99 percent of the ash trees it encounters. Trees with thinning leaves, increased woodpecker activity, and capital ‘D’ shaped holes in its bark may be at risk, Bedford adds, and residents in the Lower Peninsula should remove infected trees as soon as possible.
