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Wayne County Under Quarantine for Emerald Ash Borer
As of Friday, August 22, Wayne County was put under quarantine due to the discovery of Emerald Ash Borer at the north end of Wooster.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has expanded the state’s Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) quarantine area to include Wayne County. The state’s quarantine, which is designed to slow the spread of the ash tree-killing insect, prohibits the movement of ash trees, parts of an ash tree, and all hardwood firewood from infested areas. ODA officials discovered EAB on a residential property in Wayne Township near the intersection of Smithville-Western and Hoffman roads, just outside the Wooster city limits. Three EAB specimens were collected from a purple-trapping device placed by ODA as part of its efforts to detect the insect in non-quarantined Ohio counties. Purple traps were placed on or near ash trees in 231 locations throughout Wayne County. More than 6,000 traps were placed in the southeast and far northeastern areas of the state. To date, this is Wayne County’s first known EAB infestation. It is illegal to take ash trees, parts of ash trees, and all hardwood firewood fr
om any quarantined county into a non-quarantined county without a compliance agreement from ODA. Firewood dealers, businesses or woodlot owners interested in marketing and transporting ash trees or firewood from quarantined areas can do so only with a department-approved compliance agreement. These agreements stipulate handling practices that mitigate the spread of EAB. Violators of this quarantine may face fines up to $4,000. It is also illegal to take these items from the state of Ohio, per federal quarantine.
More information about emerald ash borer can be found at ashalert.osu.edu, or click here for information regarding firewood regulations and EAB quarantine areas.
