Federal Domestic EAB Quarantine Regulations Coming to an End

Photo credit: Dr. James E. Zablotny, USDA

On December 15, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published the final rule that will remove federal domestic emerald ash borer (EAB) quarantine regulations. This rule will take effect next week (January 14, 2021) and will end APHIS’ domestic regulatory activities, including issuing permits, certificates and compliance agreements, making site visits, and conducting investigations of suspected violations. According to APHIS, the domestic quarantine has not proven effective in stopping the spread of EAB and they will now direct available resources toward non-regulatory management and containment options, such as biological control agents. APHIS is also working with the National Plant Board on firewood movement management strategies, which is one of the ways that EAB spreads. To learn more about how the movement of firewood can spread invasive species like EAB, please visit the OISC Don’t Move Firewood webpage.

The information above was gathered from the December 14, 2020 USDA APHIS Stakeholder Announcement.

USDA Declares August Tree Check Month

August is Tree Check Month! Everyone is encouraged to take 10 minutes to check their trees for signs of invasive pests, such as the Asian longhorned beetle. August is the best time to spot the Asian longhorned beetle as adults emerge from trees. The Asian longhorned beetle feeds on a wide variety of popular hardwood trees, including maple, birch, elm, willow, ash, and poplar. For more information about the Asian longhorned beetle, please visit www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved in protecting our forests from invasive species, please visit the Oregon Forest Pest Detector program website. Oregon Forest Pest Detectors are volunteers that help prevent the damaging impacts of invasive forest pests by monitoring for and reporting potential infestations. The Oregon Forest Pest Detector program currently focuses on detection of the emerald ash borer (EAB), Asian longhorn beetle (ALB), and goldspotted oak borer (GSOB).

Always remember to report any potential sightings of invasive species and Don’t Move Firewood!

Emerald Ash Borer Switching Hosts

The Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis), an invasive pest once thought to only target ash trees, appears to be able to utilize a wider variety of trees as hosts. A researcher at Wright State University, Professor Don Cipollini, has found that the green beetle will also attack white fringetree, commonly known as Monrovia (Chionanthus virginicus) (Cipollini and Peterson, 2018). Cipollini was examining some white fringetrees in southwestern Ohio and discovered the tell-tale signs of an emerald ash borer: a D-shaped exit hole. This observation makes the white fringetree the second non-ash EAB host. In 2017, EAB was also observed successfully completing development to adulthood on a major cultivar of olive after its cut stems were inoculated with EAB eggs (Cipollini et al., 2017).

A close-up photo of a white fringetree taken in Maryland (Photo credit: Flickr).

In addition to the threat it poses to native Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia) and other ash species planted around the state, EAB’s ability to utilize cultivated olive as a host is another reason for Oregonian’s to be concerned. While still fairly young, the olive industry is growing in the state of Oregon.

It is estimated that the emerald ash borer will have caused $10 billion in economic damage by 2019 across the United States. Now that there is a new potential host for the insect, the extent of the issue could be more devastating than previously understood.

Literature Cited
Cipollini, D., C.M. Rigsby, D.L. Peterson. 2017. Feeding and Development of Emerald Ash Borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) on Cultivated Olive, Olea europaea. Journal of Economic Entomology: 10(4). 1935-1937. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tox139

Cipollini, D. and D.L. Peterson. 2018. The potential for host switching via ecological fitting in the emerald ash borer‐host plant system. Oecologia (2018) 187:507–519. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4089-3

Emerald Ash Borer: No More Quarantine?

**Updated September 20, 2018**

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (AHPIS) sent out a bulletin on 09/18/2018 regarding their proposed removal of domestic quarantine regulations for the emerald ash borer (EAB) and they are currently looking for input. See information that came from USDA AHPIS below. Information can also be viewed by clicking here.

APHIS is proposing to remove the domestic quarantine regulations for the emerald ash borer (EAB). Eliminating this regulation is in keeping with USDA’s goal of reducing regulations that have outlived their usefulness. The proposal would end APHIS’ domestic regulatory activities, which includes actions such as issuing permits, certificates and compliance agreements, making site visits, and conducting investigations of suspected violations, and instead direct all available resources toward managing the pest. APHIS remains committed to controlling this invasive pest and wants to conduct more research and release a greater number of biological control agents—tiny stingless wasps that are natural predators of the EAB—since biocontrol has shown the most promise for stopping EAB’s spread.

We would like input on the proposal from you. Your participation in this process is valuable.

The proposed rule is available in the Federal Register and open for comment through November 19, 2018. APHIS will review all comments received during the comment period. If APHIS receives no new information significant enough to alter the proposal, APHIS will announce the final regulatory decision. The text of the final rule and discussion of the comments will be published in the Federal Register. Comments regarding the proposed rule for deregulation may be submitted by either of the following methods:

1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0056.

2. Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2017-0056, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.

Supporting documents and any comments APHIS receives on this docket may be viewed athttp://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0056 or in the APHIS reading room, which is located in Room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call (202) 799-7039.

We look forward to continued collaboration with you and if you have questions about the proposed regulatory change for EAB, please feel free to contact the National Policy Manager Robyn Rose at 301-851-2283 or robyn.i.rose@aphis.usda.gov.

---

The federal government is looking to possibly lift quarantines for the invasive emerald ash borer. Currently, this quarantine restricts movement of firewood from ash trees across state lines from states that already have emerald ash borer. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) told news sources that “33 states have EAB infestations, and every year the insect continues to be detected beyond the quarantine boundaries.” Based on the beetle’s continuous spread with the quarantine, eradication is not possible according to USDA APHIS. Federal and state forestry officials say that the quarantine has most likely slowed the spread of the emerald ash borer, but it hasn’t done enough to stop the spread.

U.S. Department of Agriculture/Flickr

USDA APHIS will make a final ruling in about 60 days after a public comment period in July 2018. The Forest Service considers the emerald ash borer to be the most destructive pest ever seen in North America, with economic costs reaching billions of dollars. Other approaches, including studies on resistant ash trees as well as biological controls are also being researched and explored. Developing a resistant tree and cloning it may be the best answer, says Connecticut state Forester Christopher Martin. Offering a silver lining, Martin said “We don’t think all hope is lost.”

Click here to read the full article

Original Article Information:
Marc Heller, E&E News reporter. Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2018.

Choose Local Firewood This Winter!

The Oregon Department of Agriculture wants to remind everyone to buy their firewood locally and to Burn it Where you Buy it! 

Asian longhorned beetle (photo by Michael Bohne, USDA Forest Service)

Emerald ash borer (photo by Leah Bauer, US Forest Service)

“Firewood is still one of the bigger vectors for accidentally transporting diseases and insects from one state to the next,” says Helmuth Rogg, director of ODA’s Plant Protection and Conservation programs. “Buy your firewood locally and burn it where you buy it. That way, you reduce the risk of bringing in invasive species. You also support a local industry.” 

“We’ve been lucky,” says Rogg. “As more people move to and through Oregon, the risk increases– especially when they bring firewood with them.” 

To read the full news story, originally posted by ODA on 11/16/2017, click here. Also, don't forget to check out our Don't Move Firewood campaign page.