| May 18, 2010 Emerald Ash Borer Found in Bedford County; Quarantine Expanded
Campers Again Urged Not to Haul Firewood from Place to Place Harrisburg – Emerald Ash Borer beetles have been found near Graceville, Bedford, County, bringing to 12 the number of Pennsylvania counties where the ash tree-destroying pest has been identified, Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding said today. In response to this latest discovery, Redding said a state-imposed quarantine is being expanded to include Bedford County. He reminded residents and visitors to use only locally harvested firewood, burn all of the firewood on-site, and not move it to new locations. “Our survey crews are acting swiftly to assess the extent of infestation in Bedford County and surrounding areas,” said Redding. “As we enter the summer traveling and camping season, the department urges all Pennsylvanians to heed the imposed hardwood firewood quarantine – not just in the specified areas, but throughout the state to prevent any further spread of the beetle.” The Bedford County infestation was discovered at the intersection of Tannery Road and Route 30 near Graceville, which is less than one mile east of Breezewood and less than one mile from the Fulton County line, after Department of Conservation and Natural Resources staff noticed extensive tree damage due to woodpecker. Such damage often indicates that trees may be infected as the birds injure the trees while trying to eat the beetle larvae. State and federal Emerald Ash Borer quarantines restrict 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 and wood chips—including ash, oak, maple and hickory—are considered quarantined. The invasive beetle was first detected in Pennsylvania in the summer of 2007 in Butler County, and subsequently was found in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Indiana, Juniata, Lawrence, Mercer, Mifflin, Washington and Westmoreland counties. Emerald Ash Borer is a wood-boring beetle native to China and eastern Asia. The pest likely arrived in North America in wooden shipping crates. It was first detected in July 2002 in southeastern Michigan and neighboring Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In addition to Pennsylvania, the beetle is attacking ash trees in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin, and is responsible for the death and decline of more than 40 million trees. Typically, the beetles will kill an ash tree within three years of the initial infestation. Adults are dark green, one-half inch in length and one-eighth inch wide, and fly only from early May until September. Larvae spend the rest of the year beneath the bark of ash trees. When they emerge as adults, they leave D-shaped holes in the bark about one-eighth inch wide. There is no known practical control for this wood-boring pest other than destroying infested trees. People who suspect they have seen Emerald Ash Borer should call the department’s toll-free pest hotline at 1-866-253-7189. For more information about the quarantine, contact Walt Blosser at 717-772-5205, and for more information about Emerald Ash Borer, contact Sven-Erik Spichiger at 717-772-5229. The Pennsylvania Agriculture Department Emerald Ash Borer survey crews will begin hanging nearly 6,000 purple panel traps from ash trees Friday, May 21, in 21 counties. The traps are designed to attract flying adult beetles to help detect further spread. Crews will remove the traps by the end of August. The national survey is being conducted in cooperation with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the U.S. Forest Service and DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry. Information is also available at www.agriculture.state.pa.us by searching “Emerald Ash Borer.” Media contact: Jean Kummer, 717-787-5085 | EMERALD ASH BORER FOUND IN ARMSTRONG, WASHINGTON COUNTIES; QUARANTINE EXPANDED | | Campers, Homeowners Statewide Urged to Stop Transporting Firewood | | July 13, 2009 | HARRISBURG – Emerald Ash Borer beetles have been found near Brownstown, Kiskiminetas Township, Armstrong County, and Finleyville, Union Township, Washington County, bringing to nine the number of counties where the ash tree-destroying pest has been identified, Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff said today.
In response to this latest discovery, Wolff said a state-imposed quarantine is being expanded to include Armstrong and Washington counties. He reminded residents and visitors to use only locally harvested firewood, burn all of the firewood on-site, and not carry it to new locations.
State and federal Emerald Ash Borer quarantines restrict 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.
“Our survey crews are assessing the extent of the infestation in these two counties and surrounding areas,” said Wolff. “Due to the difficulty in distinguishing between species of hardwood firewood, all hardwood firewood—including ash, oak, maple and hickory—are considered quarantined. Consumers need to heed the quarantine when traveling and camping this summer—not just in the quarantined areas, but throughout Pennsylvania—to prevent any further spread of the beetle.”
The invasive beetle was first detected in Pennsylvania in the summer of 2007 in Butler County, and subsequently was found in Allegheny, Beaver, Lawrence, Mercer, Mifflin and Westmoreland counties.
This summer, 20 crews – 15 in western Pennsylvania, one in Mifflin County, and four in the eastern part of the state – and two regional coordinators have been deployed to assess the spread of the beetle. Crews in Armstrong and Washington counties recovered Emerald Ash Borer beetles from the purple panel traps deployed as part of the national survey to assess the spread.
Emerald Ash Borer is a wood-boring beetle native to China and eastern Asia. The pest likely arrived in North America hidden in wood packing materials commonly used to ship consumer and other goods. It was first detected in July 2002 in southeastern Michigan and neighboring Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The beetle has since been blamed for the death and decline of more than 20 million ash trees in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland, Virginia and Illinois.
Typically, the beetles will kill an ash tree within three years of the initial infestation. Adults are dark green, one-half inch in length and one-eighth inch wide, and fly only from early May until September. Larvae spend the rest of the year beneath the bark of ash trees. When they emerge as adults, they leave D-shaped holes in the bark about one-eighth inch wide.
There is no known practical control for this wood-boring pest other than destroying infested trees.
People who suspect they have seen Emerald Ash Borer should call the department’s toll-free pest hotline at 1-866-253-7189. For more information about the quarantine, contact Walt Blosser at 717-772-5205, and for more information about Emerald Ash Borer, contact Sven-Erik Spichiger at 717-772-5229.
The national survey is being conducted in cooperation with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the United States Forest Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry.
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| For more information contact: | | | Name: | Jean Kummer | | Title: | Press Office | | Voice: | 717-787-5085 |
| | | AGRICULTURE SECRETARY ASKS PUBLIC TO HELP KEEP FOREIGN BEETLE FROM ENTERING PA | | Asian Longhorned Beetle Now in Neighboring States; Could Threaten Hardwoods Industry | | Aug. 18, 2009 | ROCK SPRINGS, Centre County – Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff today asked the public to help keep the Asian Longhorned Beetle from entering the state, saying the non-native, invasive wood-boring pest could severely harm Pennsylvania’s hardwoods industry.
“The Asian Longhorned Beetle has not yet been found in Pennsylvania, but if allowed to enter it could pose a major threat to Pennsylvania’s timber, maple syrup and tourism industries,” said Wolff during an event at Ag Progress Days as part of August’s Asian Longhorned Beetle Awareness Month.
“By learning to recognize this invasive wood-boring pest, all Pennsylvanians can help to protect our precious resources that are a vital part of our economy,” Wolff added.
The adult Asian Longhorned Beetle is three-quarters to one-and-a-quarter inch long, has a jet-black glossy body with 20 white or yellow spots on each wing, and long blue or black and white antennae.
Beetle larvae tunnel through tree stems causing girdling that cuts off the flow of nutrients, eventually killing the tree. Adult beetles leave round exit holes in the tree, resulting in coarse sawdust at the base of infested parts of the tree. There is no known practical control for this wood-boring pest other than destroying infested trees.
The beetles attack and eventually kill many species of trees, but prefer maple species. Soft (red maple) and hard (sugar maple) trees make up more than 23 percent of Pennsylvania’s hardwood forests. Maple lumber production in the state is worth more than $3 billion and maple syrup production contributes nearly $3 million to the economy.
The beetle also attacks species of birch, buckeye, horsechestnut, elm and willow trees.
Native to China, Mongolia and Korea, the beetle was first discovered in North America in New York in 1996 and has since been found in Illinois, New Jersey and Massachusetts, mainly in urban settings.
Pennsylvania’s proximity to New York and New Jersey raise a concern due to frequent travel across state borders for recreational purposes. Should the beetle be found in Pennsylvania, the Department of Agriculture will partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Plant Protection and Quarantine division and the U.S. Forest Service to implement a full-scale eradication program.
The program would entail surveys, imposing quarantines to prevent accidental transport of the beetle, removal and destruction of infested host trees and high risk trees, as well as outreach and replanting efforts. If citizens suspect a sighting of Asian Longhorned Beetle, call the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s toll-free pest hotline at 1-866-253-7189 or e-mail badbug@state.pa.us. For more information about Asian Longhorned Beetle, contact Ashley Walter, coordinator of the Governor’s Invasive Species Council of Pennsylvania at 717-525-5800, or visit www.invasivespeciescouncil.com. The Web site also offers photos. |
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Emerald Ash Borers (EAB) Are your ash trees dying? Do you notice winding S-shaped tunnels just under the bark or small D-shaped holes on the trunk? These clues may be the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB), a deadly ash-tree killer. Since the 1990s, EAB has destroyed millions of ash trees in at least 10 states. The emerald ash borer has several distinct qualities and characteristics. It is a small metallic green beetle, 1/2 inch long. The EAB is native to Asia and attacks only ash trees. The pest was first detected in Michigan in 2002 and has since spread to other states including but not limited to, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. They destroy trees by feeding under the bark and cutting off the flow of water and nutrients to the tree. EAB travels in infested firewood and nursery stock. If you think your ash tree might be infected with EAB, look for two or more of these symptoms: - Sparse leaves and/or branches dying in the upper part of the tree
- New sprouts on the roots, lower trunk or lower branches
- Short (3-5 inches), vertical splits in the bank
- Increased activity of woodpeckers on the tree
- Winding, S-shaped tunnels just under the bark
- White or cream colored largae under the bark
You can help stop the spread of this ash tree killer by: - Not moving firewood - When you camp, leave your wood at home. Buy local firewood, and burn it all before you leave.
- Avoid planting ash trees - Choose other large shade trees for landscaping. Find alternatives here.
- Investigate potential EAB infestations - Determine whether your ash tree suffers from EAB or some other ailment.
For more information About EAB, visit www.emeraldashborer.info.
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