03-24-2003, 06:59 PM
[font "Times New Roman"]State seeks more ash borer help[/font]
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[url "http://www.spinalcolumnonline.com/action.lasso?-response=/action.lasso?-database=altpareditorial&-layout=authorsearch&-Response=editorialtableindex.lasso&-op=cn&t2=Michael%20Hoskins&-op=cn&t5=Spinal%20Column&-op=eq&t19=Y&-sortfield=d1&-sortorde%20"][font "Times New Roman"]by Michael Hoskins[/font][/url]
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[font "Times New Roman"][#000080]March 19, 2003 - [/#000080]Even as Michigan carries out its action plan to combat the bug responsible for plaguing the state's ash tree population, state leaders say the emerald ash borer is quickly spreading throughout the region and could spread even more without additional federal help.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]In early March, Gov. Jennifer Granholm formally requested help from the federal government to help eradicate the emerald ash borer, which has infected more than half the state's ash trees since this time in 2002.
"While our federal partners have been helpful to date, it is critical that they answer this call and ensure that we wage a successful and coordinated management and eradication strategy to protect the ash tree resources of our Michigan communities and prevent this pest from spreading to other areas of our beautiful Great Lakes State, as well as other states," Granholm said. "Unfortunately, Ohio announced (the ash borer) had been found in their state (recently). This discovery makes it even more imperative that we act quickly and decisively to mitigate further impacts and damage of the emerald ash borer."
Ash trees have been a landscape treasure in Michigan since the 1950s, when Dutch elm disease swept across the state and eradicated that tree species.
Last year, however, a new outbreak began plaguing ash trees throughout southeast Michigan, wiping out more than half the state's ash tree population before agricultural experts in July pinpointed the mysterious ailment as a tiny green beetle called the emerald ash borer.
The state has acted aggressively since identifying the ash borer, enacting a state quarantine last summer on the six southeast Michigan counties — including Oakland — so that none of the infected trees, logs or firewood can spread the infestation by leaving the region.
Earlier this year, state officials established a task force comprised of experts and officials from state and federal agencies and universities that has cooperatively developed a comprehensive strategy to detect, contain and eradicate the ash borer.
Key components in Michigan's strategy include: enforcing the quarantine restricting movement of ash trees and materials; providing sanitation and disposal options; conducting ongoing surveys to ensure that the pest is not spreading or to quickly detect potential additional infestations; conducting much-needed research into the pest's biology and identifying potential control options; ensuring community and homeowner education, outreach and awareness; and facilitating tree restoration/replacement wherever possible.
That plan, however, may not be enough without further federal help.
"It's going to take some federal dollars to tackle this problem," said Dave Roberts, a plant pathologist with the Michigan State University (MSU) Extension who has been studying the emerald ash borer and working on the management plan. "In the five-county area (of southeast Michigan), a good percentage of trees have been hit. There's basically an excess of 28 million ash trees in this area, and they're all likely to be wiped out if we don't stop this borer."
Roberts said he and other specialists have predicted that as many as 10,000 dying ash trees will have to be removed from suburban areas. He pointed out, though, that an estimated 400,000 trees in southeast Michigan could be infected, making this a "catastrophe" for many residential areas.
While the devastation of ash trees is largely confined to the southeast corner of the state and parts of Canada, Roberts affirmed recently that it could spread like wildfire if strict measures aren't imposed.
The borer has been spotted in ash trees throughout Michigan and parts of Canada, as well as surfacing recently in Ohio. The U.S. and Canadian governments are working jointly on a plan to manage the insect, and Michigan, meanwhile, is trying to secure federal funding to help battle the bug.
Granholm is also working with the state's Congressional delegation to help secure additional federal resources and support.[/font] [font "Times New Roman"]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Michael Hoskins is a staff writer for the Spinal Column Newsweekly[/font]
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[url "http://www.spinalcolumnonline.com/action.lasso?-response=/action.lasso?-database=altpareditorial&-layout=authorsearch&-Response=editorialtableindex.lasso&-op=cn&t2=Michael%20Hoskins&-op=cn&t5=Spinal%20Column&-op=eq&t19=Y&-sortfield=d1&-sortorde%20"][font "Times New Roman"]by Michael Hoskins[/font][/url]
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[font "Times New Roman"][#000080]March 19, 2003 - [/#000080]Even as Michigan carries out its action plan to combat the bug responsible for plaguing the state's ash tree population, state leaders say the emerald ash borer is quickly spreading throughout the region and could spread even more without additional federal help.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]In early March, Gov. Jennifer Granholm formally requested help from the federal government to help eradicate the emerald ash borer, which has infected more than half the state's ash trees since this time in 2002.
"While our federal partners have been helpful to date, it is critical that they answer this call and ensure that we wage a successful and coordinated management and eradication strategy to protect the ash tree resources of our Michigan communities and prevent this pest from spreading to other areas of our beautiful Great Lakes State, as well as other states," Granholm said. "Unfortunately, Ohio announced (the ash borer) had been found in their state (recently). This discovery makes it even more imperative that we act quickly and decisively to mitigate further impacts and damage of the emerald ash borer."
Ash trees have been a landscape treasure in Michigan since the 1950s, when Dutch elm disease swept across the state and eradicated that tree species.
Last year, however, a new outbreak began plaguing ash trees throughout southeast Michigan, wiping out more than half the state's ash tree population before agricultural experts in July pinpointed the mysterious ailment as a tiny green beetle called the emerald ash borer.
The state has acted aggressively since identifying the ash borer, enacting a state quarantine last summer on the six southeast Michigan counties — including Oakland — so that none of the infected trees, logs or firewood can spread the infestation by leaving the region.
Earlier this year, state officials established a task force comprised of experts and officials from state and federal agencies and universities that has cooperatively developed a comprehensive strategy to detect, contain and eradicate the ash borer.
Key components in Michigan's strategy include: enforcing the quarantine restricting movement of ash trees and materials; providing sanitation and disposal options; conducting ongoing surveys to ensure that the pest is not spreading or to quickly detect potential additional infestations; conducting much-needed research into the pest's biology and identifying potential control options; ensuring community and homeowner education, outreach and awareness; and facilitating tree restoration/replacement wherever possible.
That plan, however, may not be enough without further federal help.
"It's going to take some federal dollars to tackle this problem," said Dave Roberts, a plant pathologist with the Michigan State University (MSU) Extension who has been studying the emerald ash borer and working on the management plan. "In the five-county area (of southeast Michigan), a good percentage of trees have been hit. There's basically an excess of 28 million ash trees in this area, and they're all likely to be wiped out if we don't stop this borer."
Roberts said he and other specialists have predicted that as many as 10,000 dying ash trees will have to be removed from suburban areas. He pointed out, though, that an estimated 400,000 trees in southeast Michigan could be infected, making this a "catastrophe" for many residential areas.
While the devastation of ash trees is largely confined to the southeast corner of the state and parts of Canada, Roberts affirmed recently that it could spread like wildfire if strict measures aren't imposed.
The borer has been spotted in ash trees throughout Michigan and parts of Canada, as well as surfacing recently in Ohio. The U.S. and Canadian governments are working jointly on a plan to manage the insect, and Michigan, meanwhile, is trying to secure federal funding to help battle the bug.
Granholm is also working with the state's Congressional delegation to help secure additional federal resources and support.[/font] [font "Times New Roman"]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Michael Hoskins is a staff writer for the Spinal Column Newsweekly[/font]
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