Emerald Ash Borer Discovered in Wright County
MDA
places the county under quarantine
St. Paul, MN: The
Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has placed Wright County under an
emergency quarantine, effective Thursday, September 13, after emerald ash borer
(EAB) was found along the I-94 corridor in the city of Clearwater.
Because this is the first time EAB has been identified in Wright
County, the MDA is enacting an emergency quarantine to limit the movement of
firewood and ash material out of the county. This will reduce the risk of
further spreading the tree-killing insect. A total of 17 Minnesota counties are
now under a full or partial quarantine to prevent the spread of this highly
destructive tree pest.
“We are not surprised to find EAB in this area along I-94,
since it’s a high traffic area for truckers and travelers alike. We can be
certain that emerald ash borer was brought into Wright County by someone moving
infested ash,” said Kimberly Thielen Cremers, MDA Pest Mitigation
and Regulatory Response Manager. “The only way to protect Minnesota’s ash trees is to
stop moving firewood and other ash products around the state.”
There are three easy steps Minnesotans can take to keep EAB
from spreading:
·
Don’t transport firewood. Buy firewood locally
from approved vendors, and burn it where you buy it;
·
Be aware of the quarantine restrictions. If you
live in a quarantined county, be aware of the restrictions on movement of
products such as ash trees, wood chips, and firewood; and,
·
Watch your ash trees for infestation. If you
think your ash tree is infested, go to www.mda.state.mn.us/eab and
use the “Do I Have Emerald Ash Borer?” guide. Suspect infestations can be
reported to MDA’s Arrest the Pest line at 1-888-545-6684 or arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us.
Emerald ash borer larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under
the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down
the trunk. The invasive insect was first discovered in Minnesota in 2009 and is
now found in 30 states.
Minnesota is highly susceptible to the destruction caused by
EAB. The state has approximately one billion ash trees, the most of any state
in the nation.
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