Post by Decatur on May 4, 2006 14:35:42 GMT -5
Protect Indiana's ash trees from emerald ash borers
------------------------------------------------------
Observe Indiana's firewood restrictions for campers
Campers entering Indiana campgrounds this spring and summer should expect to
have their firewood inspected by DNR personnel or USDA Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service officers (APHIS).
"These people are helping to prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer," said
DNR assistant state parks and reservoirs director Ginger Murphy.
Murphy says emerald ash borer larvae are often transported in firewood, and have
already destroyed more than 8 million ash trees in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
"Ash borers have been found in firewood brought into Pokagon State Park in
northeast Indiana," said Murphy. "Restrictions on the movement of firewood from
several counties in Indiana and Ohio as well as the entire lower peninsula of
Michigan will help stop the spread of this destructive insect and will protect
the forests and shade trees at our DNR properties."
Murphy says ash trees provide valuable shade in many campgrounds on hot summer
days. "At Salamonie Lake's campground, ash trees provide about 30 percent of the
tree cover," said Murphy.
This camping season, DNR gate attendants will require anyone bringing firewood
from a quarantined area to leave it at the gate. The DNR will remove the
firewood and burn it each day to eliminate any chance that emerald ash borers
might emerge and survive. The DNR will also be checking empty campsites for
leftover firewood. Leftover wood will be removed and burned.
Moving firewood from quarantined areas in Ohio and Michigan into Indiana (or
vice versa) is a violation of federal law. Moving firewood from quarantined
areas in Indiana is a violation of state law. Officers from the USDA Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will be visiting campgrounds to watch
for and remove firewood brought from quarantined areas.
Firewood vendors in campgrounds will only be allowed to sell firewood from
non-quarantined areas.
EAB quarantine areas
----------------------------
Indiana counties with quarantines currently include:
-Steuben
-LaGrange
-Adams
-Randolph
-Huntington
-Hamilton
-Marion
Ohio counties with quarantines currently include:
-Auglaize
-Defiance
-Erie
-Fulton
-Hancock
-Henry
-Huron
-Lorain
-Lucas
-Ottawa
-Paulding
-Sandusky
-Williams
If you live anywhere in the lower peninsula of Michigan, do not bring firewood
from home to an Indiana state park, reservoir or state forest.
Tips to reduce the spread of the emerald ash borer
------------------------------
-Burn all of the firewood you have brought to camp. DO NOT LEAVE IT FOR OTHER
CAMPERS!
-Check for quarantine changes before you pack the camper. If new counties are
quarantined, firewood cannot be brought to our state parks, reservoirs or state
forests from these counties. You can view regularly updated maps of quarantined
areas at:
www.emeraldashborer.info/map.cfm
-Monitor your ash trees. If you have ash trees in your yard, keep an eye on
them. You can find out what to look for by visiting www.emeraldashborer.info. If
you discover emerald ash borer larvae or adults, contact DNR's exotics hotline
at 1-866-663-9684.
Indiana's Ash Trees
--------------------
Ash trees make up about six percent of Indiana forests. Ash is a valuable wood
for making baseball bats and tool handles. Many community's plant ash trees
along streets and in neighborhoods - an estimated 1.5 million ash trees are in
urban settings. Every single one of these trees is at risk if emerald ash borer
moves into an area.
The range where ash trees grow stretches from Michigan to Texas to Florida. The
estimated potential national impact of the emerald ash borer is a loss of
between 0.5 - 2 percent of the total leaf area, and an economic loss of between
$20-60 billion.
The adult beetle generally moves no more than 1/2 mile from where it emerges
from under the bark of an ash tree. However, a piece of ash firewood with beetle
larvae inside it can be transported hundreds of miles from its original location
- and can result in a new infestation that can impact forests, campgrounds and
local communities in unexpected places.
More information about the potential impact of the emerald ash borer:
www.emeraldashborer.info/
We finally get some DNR attention in Adams county, and it's for something bad!
------------------------------------------------------
Observe Indiana's firewood restrictions for campers
Campers entering Indiana campgrounds this spring and summer should expect to
have their firewood inspected by DNR personnel or USDA Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service officers (APHIS).
"These people are helping to prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer," said
DNR assistant state parks and reservoirs director Ginger Murphy.
Murphy says emerald ash borer larvae are often transported in firewood, and have
already destroyed more than 8 million ash trees in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
"Ash borers have been found in firewood brought into Pokagon State Park in
northeast Indiana," said Murphy. "Restrictions on the movement of firewood from
several counties in Indiana and Ohio as well as the entire lower peninsula of
Michigan will help stop the spread of this destructive insect and will protect
the forests and shade trees at our DNR properties."
Murphy says ash trees provide valuable shade in many campgrounds on hot summer
days. "At Salamonie Lake's campground, ash trees provide about 30 percent of the
tree cover," said Murphy.
This camping season, DNR gate attendants will require anyone bringing firewood
from a quarantined area to leave it at the gate. The DNR will remove the
firewood and burn it each day to eliminate any chance that emerald ash borers
might emerge and survive. The DNR will also be checking empty campsites for
leftover firewood. Leftover wood will be removed and burned.
Moving firewood from quarantined areas in Ohio and Michigan into Indiana (or
vice versa) is a violation of federal law. Moving firewood from quarantined
areas in Indiana is a violation of state law. Officers from the USDA Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will be visiting campgrounds to watch
for and remove firewood brought from quarantined areas.
Firewood vendors in campgrounds will only be allowed to sell firewood from
non-quarantined areas.
EAB quarantine areas
----------------------------
Indiana counties with quarantines currently include:
-Steuben
-LaGrange
-Adams
-Randolph
-Huntington
-Hamilton
-Marion
Ohio counties with quarantines currently include:
-Auglaize
-Defiance
-Erie
-Fulton
-Hancock
-Henry
-Huron
-Lorain
-Lucas
-Ottawa
-Paulding
-Sandusky
-Williams
If you live anywhere in the lower peninsula of Michigan, do not bring firewood
from home to an Indiana state park, reservoir or state forest.
Tips to reduce the spread of the emerald ash borer
------------------------------
-Burn all of the firewood you have brought to camp. DO NOT LEAVE IT FOR OTHER
CAMPERS!
-Check for quarantine changes before you pack the camper. If new counties are
quarantined, firewood cannot be brought to our state parks, reservoirs or state
forests from these counties. You can view regularly updated maps of quarantined
areas at:
www.emeraldashborer.info/map.cfm
-Monitor your ash trees. If you have ash trees in your yard, keep an eye on
them. You can find out what to look for by visiting www.emeraldashborer.info. If
you discover emerald ash borer larvae or adults, contact DNR's exotics hotline
at 1-866-663-9684.
Indiana's Ash Trees
--------------------
Ash trees make up about six percent of Indiana forests. Ash is a valuable wood
for making baseball bats and tool handles. Many community's plant ash trees
along streets and in neighborhoods - an estimated 1.5 million ash trees are in
urban settings. Every single one of these trees is at risk if emerald ash borer
moves into an area.
The range where ash trees grow stretches from Michigan to Texas to Florida. The
estimated potential national impact of the emerald ash borer is a loss of
between 0.5 - 2 percent of the total leaf area, and an economic loss of between
$20-60 billion.
The adult beetle generally moves no more than 1/2 mile from where it emerges
from under the bark of an ash tree. However, a piece of ash firewood with beetle
larvae inside it can be transported hundreds of miles from its original location
- and can result in a new infestation that can impact forests, campgrounds and
local communities in unexpected places.
More information about the potential impact of the emerald ash borer:
www.emeraldashborer.info/
We finally get some DNR attention in Adams county, and it's for something bad!