01-24-2008
Wisconsin Ag Department Urges State Residents to Be On the Look Out for Rustic Planters That May Contain EAB

MADISON --The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) urges consumers to help track down rustic, wooden planter boxes that might be hiding the ash tree-killing emerald ash borer. The request comes after state officials were notified by the US Department of Agriculture that the planters were made from potentially infested ash wood and were shipped in violation of a federal quarantine to Lowe's home improvement stores in Wisconsin.

The planter boxes, manufactured in Indiana by Lawson Products, are labeled "Nature's Own Planters." They are about 24 inches long, by 8 inches wide, and made from "slab wood," some of which may be ash, with the bark attached. The wood used to make the planters came from trees in a non-infested county in Indiana, 50 miles from the nearest infestation.

"Our understanding is that, nationwide, there were only several thousand of these planters delivered to Lowe's stores, and that they were produced from a variety of wood products, including various conifer species and other hardwoods," said Bob Dahl, plant protection section chief with DATCP. "The risk of introduction of EAB into Wisconsin through these planters appears small. But given the threat EAB poses, it is better to be cautious and to ask residents to check their yards and garages for these items since we know they came from an infested state.

"If you have one of these boxes, please call the Wisconsin Emerald Ash Borer toll-free hotline to make arrangements to have the box inspected," Dahl said. The number is 1-800-462-2803. "It's possible that the insect may have already emerged from beneath the bark on the planter, and our staff will be able to determine if that's the case. We can also advise callers on how to safely dispose of the boxes."

EAB is an insect pest that has killed nearly 25 million ash trees in several Midwest and Eastern states and Canada. It has been spread widely due to the movement of firewood, but any ash product with bark attached can spread the beetle. Ash nursery stock is also a concern.

To date, emerald ash borer has not been detected in Wisconsin.

There are ten Lowe's stores in Wisconsin; four have been inspected by federal and state officials so far and the others will be visited in the coming days. As of last week, only 40 planters remained in Wisconsin, removed from store shelves and waiting to be destroyed or returned to the manufacturer.

Store officials have been cooperative to withdraw unsold items from stores, but the emphasis is now on tracking down those planters that already have been purchased. The items were on store shelves throughout the summer and fall of 2007.

Wisconsin is home to more than 725 million ash trees in forest settings and is a popular urban tree, representing as much as 20 percent of municipal tress in some communities.

Wisconsin Lowe's locations include: Manitowoc, Oshkosh, Wauwatosa, Brown Deer, Buchanan (near Appleton), central Milwaukee, Delavan, Franklin, Kenosha and Plover.
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