Why was the quarantine issued?
A: Ash trees are an important part of our forest ecosystem as well as a valuable resource for the timber industries in West Virginia. The emerald ash borer is an exotic invasive pest that is responsible for the death of more than 40 million ash trees in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Minnesota, New York, Kentucky, Virginia, and Canada. The quarantine was put in place to help slow the artificial spread of this pest.
Q: What areas of West Virginia are quarantined?
A: The entire state of West Virginia is under a federal quarantine.
Q: What are considered to be "regulated articles"?
A: Regulated articles include:
- all life stages of the emerald ash borer
- firewood of all hardwood (non-coniferous) species
- Nursery stock, green lumber, and other material living, dead, cut, or fallen, including logs, stumps, roots, branches of ash, Fraxinus spp.
- Uncomposted ash chips and uncomposted ash bark chips larger than 1 inch in diameter in two dimensions.
Q: What can I do to help?
A: Help spread the word. DON'T MOVE FIREWOOD. In the Midwest, most new infestations have taken place because people have unknowingly taken pest-infested firewood to other locations. If you have a vacation destination out of the Quarantine Area, leave your firewood at home!
All West Virginia residents should consider buying firewood locally. The easiest way to keep it from spreading is to avoid buying "exotic" firewood and/or moving it from place to place. What is exotic firewood? Any stick of wood that comes from more than 50 miles from the place it was cut. If you burn firewood in your home stove or use it for camping, cut and burn your own or make sure the wood you buy comes from a local forest.
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