CHICAGO, Ill. – In an effort to keep the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) out of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Agriculture is asking residents not to bring firewood into the state from Michigan and parts of Indiana and Ohio. IDOA is coordinating this effort along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS), U.S. Forest Service, the Morton Arboretum and the City of Chicago.
"This exotic pest has already killed more than 20 million ash trees in the Midwest, and firewood is one of the easiest ways for the damaging insect to make its way into Illinois this winter," said Warren Goetsch, bureau chief of environmental programs. "Once EAB is here, it will cost millions of dollars and millions trees to try and control and eradicate the destructive insect."
The Emerald Ash Borer feeds on a variety of ash trees, most commonly green, white and blue ash. The female adult will lay eggs in the crevices of the bark and when the larvae hatch, they feed on the cambium layer between the bark and the wood, eventually killing the tree.
"Not moving firewood into Illinois from effected areas is key to preventing the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer," Morton Arboretum Community Trees Advocate Edith Makra said. "Even if firewood appears healthy and not visibly infested, it may carry the Emerald Ash Borer larvae, which will emerge in the spring. As our surveys have determined, 20 percent of trees in the Chicago region are ash and the introduction of this pest would have a devastating effect on our communities as well as our ecosystem."
Illinois residents are asked not to transport firewood into Illinois from anywhere in the state of Michigan, Steuben and LaGrange counties in Indiana and Defiance, Lucas, Fulton and Henry counties in Ohio as well as any other areas where EAB has been detected.
Michigan has already put a quarantine in place that makes it illegal to move ash trees, branches, firewood and woodchips larger than one inch in diameter outside counties that have detected EAB.
"We’re reaching out to the public for help in this effort. The more knowledgeable people are about EAB and the damage it can cause, the stronger our chances of keeping someone from unknowingly bringing it across state lines," Goetsch added.
For a more detailed look at the Emerald Ash Borer Readiness Plan and a list of the participating agencies, log on to the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s web page at www.agr.state.il.us, go to Environmental Issues and then select Exotic Pests.