April 9, 2015 Media Inquires Call:
APHIS PIO—Rhonda Santos 508‐852‐8044
ODA PIO—Brett Gates 614‐752‐9817
KEY MESSAGES: Residents in the ALB regulated areas established within Clermont County cannot move firewood or wood debris outside of the regulated area and outside of East Fork State Park. Residents are also discouraged from moving firewood and wood debris inside the regulated area. For answers to questions about regulated materials and permits,or to report wood movement or suspected ALB infested trees, residents are asked to call the program office at 513‐381‐7180. Residents can also report suspected ALB infestations online at www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com.
Clermont County
Tree removals are ongoing. Property owners are asked to communicate any concerns with the contractor in advance of tree removal work being conducted by calling 513‐226‐9138. Ground and tree-climbing survey crews continue to conduct delimiting surveys, inspecting all host trees throughout the regulated areas in Clermont County. Staff survey for the presence of ALB by examining individual host trees for signs of beetle damage. The following numbers pertain to the tree removals and surveys currently being conducted:
1,488,998: Number of tree surveys conducted as of 4/4/15 (since surveys began on 7/1/11)
16,030: Number of ALB infested trees confirmed as of 4/4/15 (since detection on 6/17/11)
14,947: Number of ALB infested trees removed as of 4/4/15 (since removals started on 11/14/11)
49,106: Number of ALB high risk host trees removed as of 4/4/15 (since removals started on 5/1/13)
26,291: Number of ALB high risk host tree treatments conducted in 2013 and 2014
61 square miles under regulation; see “Regulated Area” map:
http://agri.ohio.gov/topnews/asianbeetle/docs/ALB_ohio_quarantine_082112.pdf
The quarantine restricts the movement of hardwood logs, firewood, stumps, roots and branches out of the regulated area and also restricts the sale of nursery stock, green lumber, and logs of the following trees: maples, horse chestnut, buckeye, mimosa, birch, hackberry, ash, golden raintree, katsura, sycamore, poplar, willow, mountain ash, and elms. Program staff continue to monitor regulated areas, respond to service calls and conduct training sessions for compliance agreements.
OPEN OFFICE HOURS: There are no ALB program public meetings planned for the upcoming week.
ONLINE RESOURCES:
USDA ALB information site: www.AsianLonghornedBeetle.com
USDA APHIS ALB newsroom: www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/hot_issues/alb/alb.shtml
ODA ALB information: www.agri.ohio.gov/TopNews/asianbeetle/
ODNR ALB information: www.dnr.state.oh.us/health/asianlonghorned/tabid/5197/Default.aspx
OSU Clermont County Extension: clermont.osu.edu/
Clermont County ALB page: bugs.clermontcountyohio.gov/
Firewood Outreach and Education: dontmovefirewood.org/
BACKGROUND: The Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis, ALB) is an invasive insect from Asia that came to the United States concealed in solid wood packing material; pallets, crates and dunnage, used to transport goods from overseas. ALB was first detected in the United States in 1996 in Brooklyn, NY. Ohio is the fifth state to detect the destructive ALB. Eradication has been declared in Illinois, New Jersey and parts of New York. Eradication operations continue within Ohio, Massachusetts and New York.
