The iridescent green beetle was found in Michigan in 2002. Experts say it likely hitched a ride years earlier from Asia in wooden packing crates. Campers, hunters and city dwellers heading off to cottages for weekend excursions have spread them rapidly by bringing their own firewood along for outings, experts say.
"It's almost done unconsciously when you go camping — you pack your cooler and your tent and your firewood and you head out," said Sharon Lucik, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service in Brighton, Mich.
Because the ash borer's native range is in Asia, it has no natural predators in North America. Trees can be treated annually with chemicals to combat the larvae, but that isn't an economical option for vast forest expanses, tree-lined streets and suburban yards, Lucik said.
She said the federal agency's goal is for states to keep ash borer populations confined to infested areas so the beetle will be easier to combat if an effective form of control is found.
Screening Campfire Fuel
The beetle doesn't just threaten ash trees, a wide-ranging species valued for fast growth, shade and fall foliage in the wilderness. Ash wood, strong and light in color, is used in furniture and baseball bats, generating about $200 million annually, according to the American Forest & Paper Association.
In Indiana, the half-inch-long beetle has spread to seven counties since it was found in a campground in April 2004. This spring, the state banned campers from bringing firewood from those counties, as well as quarantined counties in Ohio and Michigan, into the state's 24 parks, nine reservoirs and various recreation areas.
Under the policy, park officials seize and burn wood if it's from one of the counties. Campers can buy borer-free wood at a park's supply store for $4 to $5.
Joe McGuinness and his father-in-law, Dan Greene, of Franklin, Ind., got a taste of the new rule recently at the 290-acre Mounds State Park, in central Indiana.
