Emerald Ash Borer found in Manitowoc County; no change in county's quarantine status

MANITOWOC COUNTY -- Emerald ash borer has been confirmed for the first time in Manitowoc County, in a private woodlot in the Town of Schleswig.

Although emerald ash borer  had not previously been found in Manitowoc County, the county has been under quarantine for EAB since 2014, when infestations were found in neighboring Calumet and Outagamie counties, according to a press release.

“This will not change anything from a regulatory standpoint,” said Brian Kuhn, Plant Industry Bureau Director with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). "The quarantine will remain in place. The insects will continue to spread naturally, but the quarantine can help prevent EAB from leapfrogging to entirely new areas with the help of humans.”

The property owner noticed woodpecker damage to ash trees throughout a six-acre woodlot and reported it to the state EAB hotline. DATCP staff visited the site Oct. 6 and collected EAB larvae, or immature insects, from two heavily infested trees. Samples went to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for official confirmation, which was received October 12.

For private citizens, the quarantine means that they cannot take firewood from Manitowoc County to non-quarantine counties. For businesses handling wood products that could carry EAB, it means that they must work with DATCP to assure that their products are pest-free before shipping.

For property owners in Manitowoc County and other quarantine counties, Kuhn recommended: