• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Ash borer quarantine covers 4 counties

MADISON — Officials are quarantining four counties after a second infestation of emerald ash borers was confirmed in eastern Wisconsin.

The quarantine includes all of Ozaukee County, where the state's first infestation was found, as well as Washington, Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties. It will affect plant nurseries, firewood dealers, lumber mills, arborists, pallet manufacturers and homeowners in those counties, according to an announcement from the Department of Ag, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Three adult beetles were found Aug. 1, stuck to an emerald ash borer trap in Fireman’s Park in the village of Newburg in Washington County. State officials received laboratory confirmation that those beetles were emerald ash borer on Wednesday. They announced the discovery today.

This comes after a previous announcement that insect samples from a private woodlot in nearby Ozaukee County's Saukville Township were emerald ash borer.

The tree-killing insect of Asian origin lays its eggs inside ash trees. Larvae hatch and chew through the tree’s fluid-conducting vessels, killing the tree. Millions of trees have been lost since the invading beetle was discovered in the Detroit area in 2002.

The state quarantine bans the moving of firewood, ash nursery stock, timber and other items likely to be invested with ash borers.

Violating the quarantine is a criminal action and may result in a fine of up to $200, six months in jail, or both. If regulated materials cross the state line, federal penalties begin at $1,000.

On the Net: Wisconsin Emerald Ash Borer Program: www.emeraldashborer.wi.gov