The invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has spread in Wisconsin – entering five new counties – and entered South Carolina, prompting officials to enact more serious quarantine protocols.
Wisconsin state officials are confirming the presence of the EAB in five new Wisconsin counties: Chippewa, Green Lake, Marinette, Waupaca and Waushara. All of the counties will be quarantined, requiring that firewood and other wood products stay inside quarantined areas. EAB is now in 46 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, covering about two-thirds of the state.
Officials at South Carolina’s Clemson University will hold a public hearing September 29 to discuss implementing an emergency statewide quarantine for all affected wood products. The intended quarantine would cover all of South Carolina’s 46 counties.
Officials in both states are asking for the public’s help in limiting the movement of firewood. “Essentially, we’re asking that people ‘burn it where you buy it’ when making campfires,” said Steven Long, assistant director of the department, a state regulatory agency based in Clemson’s Public Service and Agriculture unit. “Carrying firewood from one place to another is one of the primary ways that this insect and other pests can travel and infest new areas.”
EAB threatens all North American ash trees – a population of about 8.7 billion. It’s already killed an estimated 50 million trees.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/emerald-ash-borer-spreads-quarantines-intensify?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news