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Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

Published - Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Invasive species discovered in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Officials confirmed the first appearance of the emerald ash borer in Wisconsin, a finding that could put about 740 million trees in the state in jeopardy.

State Department of Natural Resources foresters took samples from a group of dying ash trees near the village of Newburg in Ozaukee County last week. A U.S. Department of Agriculture lab in Romulus, Mich., detected the insect in the samples, and a lab at the Smithsonian Institution confirmed the discovery late Friday.

Forest ecologists called the beetle a significant threat to Wisconsin’s ash trees, both in the wild and in urban settings. Their loss could mean billions of dollars gone for loggers and the tourism industry, not to mention the aesthetic loss.

“This is a big deal. This is bad,” said Phil Townsend, an associate professor of forest ecology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. “We’re not just talking about forests, out in the woods. We’re talking about trees in neighborhoods and suburbs along streets.”

The emerald ash borer, a metallic green insect about half-an-inch long, is native to Asia. It was first discovered in the Detroit area in 2002. Authorities say it probably arrived in wood packing crates.

It’s wiped out 25 million trees across nine states since then, according to DNR estimates. The adults burrow inside the tree and lay eggs. The larvae hatch and kill the tree by chewing through fluid-conducting vessels.

Federal quarantines have been placed on firewood from infested states.

Wisconsin has been testing for the insect since 2004. The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the DNR adopted a response plan that called for removing all trees within a half-mile of an infestation to stop its spread — a plan that angered a lot of people, said DATCP spokeswoman Jane Larson.

Last year the DNR prohibited campers in state parks from bringing in firewood that originated from more than 50 miles away. This past July the two agencies signed off on a new plan that incorporates more up-to-date responses, including surveys of infected areas to determine the extent of the problem, pesticides, traps and working with landowners and managers on how many trees should be removed.

DATCP likely will impose a quarantine in Ozaukee County prohibiting movement of firewood, ash nursery stock, timber or anything else the beetle could infest, like mulch or wood chips, outside the counties, agency spokeswoman Jane Larson said.

Mulch and wood chips that were pre-bagged outside quarantined areas likely won’t be included in the quarantine or could be subject to inspection before sale, Larson said.

The quarantine could go into effect by the end of the week. Agency officials may include Washington County since Newburg sits on the Washington-Ozaukee border, Larson added.

State foresters then plan to survey the area around Newburg in hopes of determining the extent of infestation and the source, Larson said.

Darrell Zastrow, director of the DNR’s forest science office, said other tree illnesses, such as Dutch elm disease, have forced Wisconsin’s forests to adapt. For example, other species grew up to replace lost elms, he said.

The longer scientists can contain the beetle, the more diverse Wisconsin’s forests will remain, Zastrow said. But people should start planting other species besides ash, he said.

“Ash presents a bit of a risk right now,” he said.

Matt Jensen of Crandon owns Whitetail Logging LLC and sits on the board of directors of the Great Lakes Timber Association, a logging advocacy group. He doubts the insect will devastate Wisconsin’s forests, but trees in infested areas need to be eradicated to stop it from spreading, if that’s possible.

“Mother Nature has a lot of power and she kind of does what she wants,” Jensen said. “It’s kind of tough for man to stop it.”