Infestation discover in Mackinac County.
Read more: Local, State
The Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine zone has been extended. The Michigan Department of Agriculture has added an area in Mackinac county near the town of Moran where an infestation was recently discovered. The borer has only been known to exist in the Upper Peninsula for last few years after an infestation was discovered at Brimley State Park in 2005.
The emerald ash borer is an invasive species from asia that lives in ash trees and eventually kills the tree.
MDA Director Donald Koivisto says "Michigan's natural resources are at risk. MDA staff is working to minimize the impact of the EAB in the U.P. as much as possible. The current quarantine revision helps accomlish this goal by prohibiting the movement of ash material or hardwood firewood from quarantined areas in the U.P. or from the Lower Peninsula."
The movement of hardwood firewood is still prohibited from leaving the Lower Peninsula as it continues to be the leading cause of the spread of EAB. The inspection station at the Mackinac Bridge will also continue to prevent hardwood firewood and other regulated ash material from entering the Upper Peninsula.
Individuals or businesses found violating the state's EAB quarantine are subject to fines ranging from $1,000 to $250,000 and jail time of up to five years for moving regulated ash materials, including firewood.
Additional information about EAB and a map of the quarantine boundaries are available at www.michigan.gov/eab or www.emeraldashborer.info.
