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Quarantine in New Haven County to Prevent Emerald Ash Borer Infestation

Courtesy of Flickr CC by USDA

Connecticut has a new, destructive resident that most likely is here to stay. As WNPRs Lucy Nalpathanchil reports, the arrival of the Emerald Ash Borer has caused state officials to impose a quarantine in one part of Connecticut.

The Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive insect that kills healthy ash trees. The little green beetle from Asia has spread quickly throughout more than a dozen states since first being discovered in Michigan. Now, state agriculture officials have imposed a quarantine in New Haven County to keep the beetle from decimating the ash tree population in Connecticut 

Kirby Stafford is the State Entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

"We've put a quarantine on New Haven County which mirrors a subsequent federal quarantine the idea is to regulate the movement of ash products, firewood, to slow the spread of this insect."

This means people in New Haven County can not sell firewood to other counties unless there's proof the wood has been treated with heat and the bark has been removed.

Stafford says this may be a hardship on some but prevention is key to keep the Emerald Ash Borer from infesting the state. Ash trees make up about 4 percent of state forests. 

"We will not be able to get rid of it. The insect is established here in the United States. We've already lost millions of ash trees. We won't be able to get rid of it but we can certainly manage it."

Residents and firewood companies can find out more information about the quarantine on the CT Agricultural Experiment station website here.

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Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.

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