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Emerald Ash Borer
Thank you for your concern and interest in this coming problem. Like you, I believe that this insect will eventually invade Wisconsin,
although the experts believe that firewood is the major form of
transportation for this beetle, placing end locations for this firewood
at a higher risk, I see Kenosha as being inevitably hit.
The Park Department is aware of this impending Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)
invasion and has taken steps to prepare for it. We have stopped planting
ash trees and have stopped these trees from being planted by
contractors. We are targeting ash in fair to poor condition for removal.
We have attended several conferences on the subject, the last being
sponsored by the WI DNR, held last Tuesday in Milwaukee (9-12-06). We
will be working with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and
Consumer Protection (DATCP) on preparing detection trees in Kenosha as a
way to sample the beetles progress. A Michigan study shows that EAB is 6
- 10 times more attracted to girdled trees. We will be creating 4
detection trees per square mile in conjunction with DATCP. As of yet, no
confirmed outbreak of this beetle has been found in Wisconsin. However,
the Michigan experience shows that it is hard to detect new colonies of
this beetle. It is possible that the EAB is already in the state.
The DATCP just completed Wisconsin's response plan, it is available on their web site,http://datcp.state.wi.us
When the EAB hits us, the City of Kenosha will be one part of the response team, the others being DATCP, the WI DNR, and the USDA.
There are several good web sites for information on the EAB, they are
updated frequently.
Several others can be found if you google Emerald Ash Borer.
Dirk Nelson
City Forester
262-653-4080
pdirkn@kenosha.org
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