The state has made a major change in its policy toward stopping the Emerald Ash Borer.
Previously, counties that were found to have the ash-killing bug were quarantined. Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection spokesperson Donna Gilson outlines the new policy...
"...we are extending the quarantine for Emerald Ash Borer across the entire state. We had been quarantining county-by-county to this point We had quarantined 49 of the state's 72 counties, pretty much the southern half of the state and we were getting it in the northern half and getting a real patchwork of counties up there, Once that happens, the quarantines are not particularly effective any more..."
Quarantines required businesses handling ash wood, untreated ash products and hardwood firewood to sign agreements specifying how they would reduce the risk of spreading EAB.
Gilson says it does seem a bit paradoxical, but wood now can move freely...
"....now that we've quarantined every county, those businesses that had an agreement with us to move their logs from a quarantined county where they cut it down to a non-quarantined county where they are going to process it...those regulations are going away and they can process it freely...."
The prior bans on moving firewood also have been lifted. But Gilson says it's still a smart idea to buy your firewood locally as invasive bugs other than EAB and oak-tree-killing oak wilt can also be found in wood...
"....there could be a pest we don't know exists yet that you could be hauling from Kenosha to Eagle River. Pretty soon you're the person bringing something we didn't know existed to the Northwoods. You don't want to be that person...."
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