11-15-2006
DATCP/DNR Educating Hunters About Firewood and Emerald Ash Borer

Contact Mick Skwarok at (608) 224-4745 or (608) 219-1492 (cell)

MADISON - Foresters and pest specialists from two state agencies will be talking to hunters about transporting insects and diseases during a two-day firewood blitz at travel centers in southern Wisconsin. The campaign will take place on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 16 and 17, just prior to the opening of the state's regular gun-deer hunting season.

Representatives from the Wisconsin Departments of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and Natural Resources (DNR) will be on hand at welcome centers near Beloit, Genoa City and Kenosha to hand out information, talk with hunters and other travelers about the problems of moving firewood over long distances and try to ensure that firewood isn't being moved into the state from federally quarantined areas in other states.

"We're looking for people - hunters or otherwise - who may be bringing firewood into Wisconsin from areas that are infested with the emerald ash borer," said Adrian Barta, New and Emerging Plant Pest Coordinator for DATCP. "It's also a chance to educate travelers about the problems they may be unknowingly moving around in the back of their truck or in their trailer or trunk."

The spread of emerald ash borer and other pests and diseases is accelerated and complicated by the movement of firewood, nursery stock and other rough wood products. An unsuspecting traveler can spread insect and disease hitchhikers hundreds of miles in a single day.

The emerald ash borer, an exotic beetle native to Asia, has been responsible for the loss of an estimated 20 million ash trees in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana since its introduction. The beetle was first detected in the United States in 2002 and as of this summer, has been identified in northeastern Illinois, just 40 miles south of the Wisconsin border. Federal quarantines on firewood and other hardwood movement from those infested areas are in place, making it illegal to move those products out of the defined areas.

"Federal inspectors will not be part of our effort, but we'll try to determine if any quarantines are being broken and then share that information with our federal partners," Barta said. "We want everyone to enjoy a safe hunting season in Wisconsin, but we also want hunters and other visitors to keep the future health of Wisconsin's forests in mind and leave firewood off their 'must pack' list and instead add it to the 'buy at destination' list."

Some visitors to Wisconsin are already familiar with the potential risks of moving firewood following the first summer that an emergency rule made it illegal to bring out-of-state firewood into Wisconsin State Parks or any other state-managed lands.

Additional information about the emerald ash borer and firewood movement can be found at the DATCP Web site, (search for EAB) or the DNR Web site.

###

Return to Previous Page  Back to Search Results