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ASH BORER IS HERE
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 -- 11:35 am
Posted by Riley Hebert-News Director
State officials confirmed Monday that the Emerald Ash Borer has reared its metallic green head in Wisconsin. It was discovered on a private woodlot near the village of Newburg in Ozaukee County.
Since it was first found in suburban Detroit in 2002, the beetle has killed more than 40 million ash trees in southeastern Michigan and tens of millions more lost in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia.
While most experts will tell you off the record they've suspected EAB has been in Wisconsin for awhile, Monday's announcement marks the first confirmed case.
Wisconsin is home to 725 million ash trees, including 5 million in the state's urban areas. Many people planted ash trees to replace elms that were destroyed by Dutch Elm Disease.
Early action plans called for all ash trees within a half-mile from an outbreak to be cut. But with advances in pesticides and the more that has been learned about the insect, federal and state officials are taking a much less aggressive approach.
Emerald ash borers attack ash trees under the bark, inhibiting the flow of nutrients and eventually kill the trees.
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