State and federal quarantines
Carter, Iron, Madison, Reynolds and Shannon counties in southeast Missouri and Clay and Platte counties near Kansas City are under quarantine to prevent the accidental spread of the beetle. The quarantine regulates the interstate (between states) movement of potentially-contaminated wood products, as well as movement between these counties and others within Missouri:
- Ash nursery stock
- Any part of an ash tree; including logs, green lumber, waste, compost, chips, etc.
- Firewood cut from any species of hardwood
Missouri has a parallel quarantine in place for intrastate (within state) movement of EAB-host wood and wood products from Wayne County.
A compliance agreement from MDA and PPQ is needed BEFORE any industry harvests’ ash in, receive ash from, or move wood through a quarantine area. To obtain a compliance agreement contact Mike Brown, USDA APHIS PPQ, at 573-893-6833. Once this agreement has been obtained, regulated articles may then be moved by following the guidelines spelled out in the compliance agreement:
- Nurseries
Ash nursery stock is prohibited from being distributed outside of the EAB quarantine area.
- Mills and loggers
Ash logs cannot be moved out of the quarantine area during the adult flight period (roughly April 1 through Sept. 30) unless fumigated or debarked. From Oct. 1 through March 31, ash logs may be allowed to be moved to an approved mill outside of the quarantine area for processing by March 31. Bark and wood waste must be processed by March 31. These processes must be approved by state or federal agriculture agencies.
- Green lumber manufacturers
Ash lumber will need to be processed in an approved manner, such as complete removal of bark (plus ½ inch of wood), kiln drying by approved standards, or fumigation prior to distribution out of the quarantine area. All processes will need approval by state or federal agencies.
- Pallet producers
Ash lumber (generated from ash from the quarantine area) used to make pallets will need to be processed in a manner approved by state or federal agencies.
EAB quarantines in North America. Download a PDF of this map.
Other state quarantines
Other states have similar quarantine restrictions. The entire states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and the lower peninsula of Michigan are under federal quarantine. Nursery stock, other ash materials and all hardwood firewood cannot be moved out of those states without a federal compliance agreement.
Furthermore, parts of Minnesota, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Virginia, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania are under state and federal quarantine. In the event that you are still buying and planting ash nursery stock, be sure you know the origin of those trees before purchasing.
For more information about Missouri’s quarantine or compliance agreement, contact the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Collin Wamsley at 573-751-5505.