State Ag officials are getting set to renew the search for the Emerald Ash Borer in Wisconsin. In the coming weeks, the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection will begin placing traps across Wisconsin that will help detect where the tree-killing beetle is currently living.
DATCP pest specialist Mick Skwarok says there planning to set nearly 8,700 traps this year, in what may be the biggest effort in the U.S. to track the EAB. He says traps will be set in every county in the state, with the greatest focus on high risk areas near infestations, such as campgrounds and lumber yards.
The state has already quarantined 11 counties were Emerald Ash Borer was found in previous years. Skwarok says the impact of the beetle is already being seen in those areas, with dead trees easily found.
Skwarok says they’ll also continue efforts this summer to prevent firewood from being moved around and to limit the movement of other wood products out of areas where infestations have been found. He says the public can play a big role in helping to control the spread of the insect as well by reporting any suspected sightings of EAB.
AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:03)