Iowa authorities issued a statewide quarantine restricting the transportation of wood and ash tree products to non-quarantined locations in other states.
The quarantine was issued Tuesday, February 4, 2014, the day after authorities announced emerald ash borer was found by tree trimming crews in Waterloo.
The quarantine means hardwood firewood, wood chips, ash logs and ash tree nursery stock cannot be moved out of Iowa to other states according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Twenty-five counties in Iowa were already quarantined for emerald ash borer according to the Iowa State University Extension Service. All of those counties were in the eastern part of the state.
More than 40 Illinois counties were also under a similar quarantine according to the state’s department of agriculture. Henderson, Warren, Knox, Mercer, Henry, Rock Island, Whiteside, Carroll, Stark, Bureay, Putnam, LaSalle and Lee counties were among those quarantined in Illinois.
“The Iowa EAB Team determined that a whole-state approach to the quarantine is warranted at this time. Communities need to focus on planning and implementing proactive measures to prepare for EAB in their urban forest,” said State Entomologist Robin Pruisner of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
The team strongly cautioned Iowans not to move firewood across county or state lines, since firewood poses the greatest risk for spreading emerald ash borer.
