Emerald Ash Borer quarantine expaned to ease flood clean-up efforts

Friday, August 24, 2007

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio (Aug. 24, 2007) - To aid in flood recovery efforts, the Ohio Department of Agriculture today expanded the state's Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) quarantine to include all of Auglaize, Hancock, and Huron counties. The expansion will allow free movement of ash trees, parts of ash trees, and hardwood firewood within these already infested counties, easing debris disposal.

The state's quarantine, which is designed to slow the spread of the ash tree-killing insect, prohibits the movement of ash tree material and firewood out of infested areas. These materials can move freely within quarantined counties and between neighboring quarantined counties, as listed below:

Allen, Auglaize, Butler, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Defiance, Erie, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Sandusky, Seneca, Ottawa, Paulding, Warren, Williams, Wood, and Wyandot counties.

Counties cleaning up debris and not under quarantine, like Crawford, Putnam, Richland, and VanWert, can move trees and firewood out of the county without restriction.

In addition to the state quarantine, a federal quarantine prohibits the movement of ash trees, parts of ash trees, and hardwood firewood out of the state of Ohio. Violators of the quarantines could face state fines up to $4,000 and much steeper federal fines.

For more information or for a map of the state's quarantine area, call 1-888-OHIO-EAB or go to www.ohioagriculture.gov/eab.

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