Forestland Invasive Species Alert     Emerald Ash Borer can decimate your ash trees. What is the State doing about it? How can you protect your forest?     Sam Lincoln from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation has announced the following:   As part of the ongoing response to the recent discovery of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) within the state, Vermont has joined the 31-state quarantine boundary described by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The quarantine will help reduce the movement of infested ash wood to un-infested regions outside of Vermont’s borders. Ash wood may not be moved from Vermont to Maine, Rhode Island, or 5 counties in New Hampshire to prevent the pest from spreading to these areas. Vermont will be directing available resources to protect state forest health by providing Vermonters with low-risk options for use and disposal of wood that is already infested.     Emerald Ash Borer What this pest does to your ash trees.   “The areas where EAB has already been found in Vermont pose the greatest risk to the health of our forests,” says Vermont Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder. “Based on science and our learning from strategies used in other states, we are choosing to focus on outreach and education in a collaborative approach to seriously limit further spread of the insect within Vermont.”   Vermont is developing a series of Slow-The-Spread recommendations, initially including recommendations for handling logs, firewood, and other ash materials [NOTE: We are now in flight season; the left-hand column of the table below does not apply through the summer and into the early fall.]     The State of Vermont already has a firewood quarantine in place to help prevent the introduction of damaging forest pests by prohibiting untreated firewood from entering the state. This firewood quarantine remains in effect.   In the 16 years since first being detected in Michigan, EAB has been discovered in 31 additional states. To learn more about these recommendations, to see a map indicating where EAB is known to occur in Vermont, and to report suspected invasive species like EAB, visit vtinvasives.org. Vermonters are also encouraged to familiarize themselves with the signs and symptoms of EAB and keep an eye out for the beetle. Report suspicious findings on vtinvasives.org.     In conclusion, our clients, and all Vermont landowners, should follow these guidelines to limit the spread of the infestation: IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT NO SPECIES OF ASH BE CUT IN THE INFESTATION ZONE DURING THE FLIGHT SEASON (THE SEASON WE ARE CURRENTLY IN); IF ASH MUST BE CUT, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANY ASH PRODUCT, INCLUDING FIREWOOD, BE TRANSPORTED OUT OF THE ZONE. Report any sign of Emerald Ash Borer on your property, even if only suspected, to your County Forester, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation or F&W Forestry. Keep a close eye on the infestation by regularly visiting vtinvasives.org for the latest information. If you have any specific questions about your property, please call us at F&W Forestry at (802) 223-8644 x28