MADISON - Emerald ash borer has been confirmed for the first time in Green County, at a town of Decatur residence, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection announced Monday.
A private homeowner in the town, Robert Voegeli, notified the Department of Natural Resources after seeing woodpecker damage and the telltale S-shaped tunneling EAB larvae create under tree bark.
Woodpeckers tear bark from infected trees as they feed on the larvae.
EAB larvae were collected April 22, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed April 24 that they were emerald ash borer.
EAB was found in only one tree on the property and that tree has been taken down the DNR said, according to Town Clerk Ann Schwartz.
"It will probably spread," said Donna Gilson, a DATCP spokesperson.
Adult EAB can travel up to 2 miles to mate, which is the distance an infestation can spread annually by the insect, but humans can spread it much further if they transport EAB-infested wood, she said.
Green County has been under a quarantine that prohibits transporting firewood and hardwood since last summer and also includes Lafayette, Iowa and Richland counties.
"This block of counties was surrounded at that point by quarantined counties, which leads us to suspect that EAB is present in low numbers that are difficult to detect. The Green County find confirms this," said Brian Kuhn, director of DATCP's Bureau of Plant Industry.
The quarantines prohibit residents from moving firewood from quarantined to non-quarantined counties. Business that handle wood products that could carry EAB must work with DATCP to assure the products they ship to non-quarantined counties are pest-free.
"While it is legal to move firewood within the quarantined counties, we strongly discourage it," Kuhn said. "The vast majority of EAB infestations have resulted from the movement of firewood. EAB is one of a number of forest pests and diseases that can easily and invisibly move from one location to another under the bark of firewood. If we could reduce the long distance movement of firewood we would reduce the spread of many invasive forest pests, not just EAB," Kuhn said in a prepared statement.
DATCP recommends that property owners who have ash trees in quarantine counties:
• Closely watch for signs of possible EAB infestation: Thinning canopy, D-shaped holes in the bark, cracked bark, branches sprouting low on the trunk, and woodpecker activity.
• Consider preventive treatments if your property is within 15 miles of a known infestation.
• Consider planting different species of trees that are not susceptible to EAB.
• Call a professional arborist, and visit emeraldashborer.wi.gov for detailed information.
Most people never see the EAB insect because they are too high up in a tree to be noticed. Instead, woodpecker activity, especially this time of year, is the most visible sign that the insect is present, Gilson said.
There are a number of treatments available that effectively combat EAB if applied in time and properly, she said.
"Some treatments are available at garden centers and should be applied every year. If you have a high-value tree, you should hire a certified arborist ... it's a more expensive treatment, but they can inject an insecticide through the bark and reapply it every two to three years," she said.
Gilson suggested consulting the emeraldashborer.wi.gov website to determine which trees to save. A certified arborist can be found through the Wisconsin Arborist Association.
Green County can assist landowners who want to plant trees not susceptible to the EAB. The county's Land and Water Conservation Office has been distributing since Friday the 7,350 trees it pre-ordered for its annual tree sale, said Todd Jenson, county conservationist.
Landowners can consult the county's website: www.co.green.wi.gov for a description of tree species available at the annual sale. Trees are ordered through the Land and Water Conservation office in November for arrival each spring, he said.
Jenson said the county board has not discussed a response to the EAB since the quarantine was imposed and was not sure if the EAB confirmation would prompt a discussion.
A call to the DNR forester for Green County was not returned before deadline.
Emerald ash borer is native to China and is believed to have probably entered the U.S. in 2002 on packing material sent to Michigan. It was found in Wisconsin six years later.
Wisconsin's quarantined counties are: Adams, Brown, Buffalo, Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Douglas, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Kewaunee, La Crosse, Lafayette, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oneida, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Trempealeau, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha and Winnebago.
EAB adults lay eggs on the bark of ash trees in mid- to late summer. A week or two later, the eggs hatch and the larvae burrow under the bark for the winter and feed. Their burrowing forms S-shaped tunnels and destroys a tree's ability to take up nutrients and water. In summer, the adults emerge through D-shaped holes in the bark.
The Wisconsin Emerald Ash Borer Program includes DATCP; DNR; University of Wisconsin-Madison; UW-Extension; USDA Forest Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
A private homeowner in the town, Robert Voegeli, notified the Department of Natural Resources after seeing woodpecker damage and the telltale S-shaped tunneling EAB larvae create under tree bark.
Woodpeckers tear bark from infected trees as they feed on the larvae.
EAB larvae were collected April 22, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed April 24 that they were emerald ash borer.
EAB was found in only one tree on the property and that tree has been taken down the DNR said, according to Town Clerk Ann Schwartz.
"It will probably spread," said Donna Gilson, a DATCP spokesperson.
Adult EAB can travel up to 2 miles to mate, which is the distance an infestation can spread annually by the insect, but humans can spread it much further if they transport EAB-infested wood, she said.
Green County has been under a quarantine that prohibits transporting firewood and hardwood since last summer and also includes Lafayette, Iowa and Richland counties.
"This block of counties was surrounded at that point by quarantined counties, which leads us to suspect that EAB is present in low numbers that are difficult to detect. The Green County find confirms this," said Brian Kuhn, director of DATCP's Bureau of Plant Industry.
The quarantines prohibit residents from moving firewood from quarantined to non-quarantined counties. Business that handle wood products that could carry EAB must work with DATCP to assure the products they ship to non-quarantined counties are pest-free.
"While it is legal to move firewood within the quarantined counties, we strongly discourage it," Kuhn said. "The vast majority of EAB infestations have resulted from the movement of firewood. EAB is one of a number of forest pests and diseases that can easily and invisibly move from one location to another under the bark of firewood. If we could reduce the long distance movement of firewood we would reduce the spread of many invasive forest pests, not just EAB," Kuhn said in a prepared statement.
DATCP recommends that property owners who have ash trees in quarantine counties:
• Closely watch for signs of possible EAB infestation: Thinning canopy, D-shaped holes in the bark, cracked bark, branches sprouting low on the trunk, and woodpecker activity.
• Consider preventive treatments if your property is within 15 miles of a known infestation.
• Consider planting different species of trees that are not susceptible to EAB.
• Call a professional arborist, and visit emeraldashborer.wi.gov for detailed information.
Most people never see the EAB insect because they are too high up in a tree to be noticed. Instead, woodpecker activity, especially this time of year, is the most visible sign that the insect is present, Gilson said.
There are a number of treatments available that effectively combat EAB if applied in time and properly, she said.
"Some treatments are available at garden centers and should be applied every year. If you have a high-value tree, you should hire a certified arborist ... it's a more expensive treatment, but they can inject an insecticide through the bark and reapply it every two to three years," she said.
Gilson suggested consulting the emeraldashborer.wi.gov website to determine which trees to save. A certified arborist can be found through the Wisconsin Arborist Association.
Green County can assist landowners who want to plant trees not susceptible to the EAB. The county's Land and Water Conservation Office has been distributing since Friday the 7,350 trees it pre-ordered for its annual tree sale, said Todd Jenson, county conservationist.
Landowners can consult the county's website: www.co.green.wi.gov for a description of tree species available at the annual sale. Trees are ordered through the Land and Water Conservation office in November for arrival each spring, he said.
Jenson said the county board has not discussed a response to the EAB since the quarantine was imposed and was not sure if the EAB confirmation would prompt a discussion.
A call to the DNR forester for Green County was not returned before deadline.
Emerald ash borer is native to China and is believed to have probably entered the U.S. in 2002 on packing material sent to Michigan. It was found in Wisconsin six years later.
Wisconsin's quarantined counties are: Adams, Brown, Buffalo, Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Douglas, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Kewaunee, La Crosse, Lafayette, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oneida, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Trempealeau, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha and Winnebago.
EAB adults lay eggs on the bark of ash trees in mid- to late summer. A week or two later, the eggs hatch and the larvae burrow under the bark for the winter and feed. Their burrowing forms S-shaped tunnels and destroys a tree's ability to take up nutrients and water. In summer, the adults emerge through D-shaped holes in the bark.
The Wisconsin Emerald Ash Borer Program includes DATCP; DNR; University of Wisconsin-Madison; UW-Extension; USDA Forest Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.