Emerald Ash Borer Detected in Laporte County, Indiana Emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive insect that kills ash trees, has been detected in LaPorte County. Infested ash trees were detected during an inspection of a nursery and, after the insect was confirmed, the trees were destroyed.
State entomologist Phil Marshall has recommended that movement of regulated ash material and hardwood firewood within LaPorte County be limited to reduce further spread of the insect. The process to quarantine LaPorte County has been started. The start of the official quarantine will be announced later. To view quarantined areas and EAB sightings in Indiana, see http://www.in.gov/dnr/entomolo/5349.htm
The EAB quarantine in LaPorte County will restrict the movement of regulated ash materials outside of the county, including whole ash trees, limbs, branches or debris of ash trees 1 inch or more in diameter, ash logs or untreated ash lumber with bark attached, and cut firewood of any hardwood species. These materials may be moved within the LaPorte County, but special permission in the form of a signed compliance agreement must be obtained from the Indiana DNR to move regulated materials outside the county borders. A compliance agreement can be applied for by contacting the Indiana DNR’s Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology at (317) 232-4120.
EAB, first found in Indiana in 2004, has now been identified in 38 Indiana counties: Adams, Allen, Blackford, Brown, Carroll, Cass, DeKalb, Delaware, Dubois, Elkhart, Floyd, Grant, Hamilton, Harrison, Hendricks, Huntington, Jay, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Miami, Monroe, Noble, Orange, Porter, Randolph, Ripley, St. Joseph, Steuben, Tippecanoe, Wabash, Washington, Wells, White and Whitley.
In addition to the state-level quarantine, all of Indiana is under a federal quarantine that prohibits the movement of regulated material out of Indiana without a compliance agreement or permit from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). For a federal compliance agreement application, contact USDA-APHIS at (765) 497-2859.
