The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is considering proposed rule changes involving wood packaging material used in domestic commerce, such as crates, pallets and sticks. Nurseries commonly use pallets and sticks when shipping plant material, but such wood material unwittingly could transport unwanted and dangerous hitchhikers, such as the emerald ash borer and […]
Citrus longhorned beetle fears spur federal order
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The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today issued a federal order (PDF) restricting importation of several plants from several countries (mostly in Asia) due to the threat of the citrus longhorned beetle (pictured; photo courtesy of Wikipedia) and the Asian longhorned beetle. The affected countries include the following: Afghanistan, China, Japan, Indonesia, […]
Out-of-state firewood: bad
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Oregon residents are being asked to make sure that if they purchase firewood, that it comes from Oregon. According to Dan Hilburn, administrator of the Oregon Department of Agriculture Plant Division, that’s because firewood often allows diseases and invasive species to hitchhike to new locales, endangering trees and nursery stocks in whole new areas. Officials […]
Asian longhorned beetle found in Illinois, Massachusetts
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It’s long. It’s distinctive. And it chews dime-sized holes in many species of hardwood trees so that it can lay eggs in them, perpetuating a cycle that leads to infestation and the death of the tree.USDA officials are mobilizing a response after confirming the presence of the Asian longhorned beetle in Worcester, Mass. A resident […]
Emerald ash borer found in two states
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For the first time, the emerald ash borer has been detected in Missouri, as well as in Wisconsin. The adult borer doesn’t cause much harm to trees, but in larvae form, it’s a whole different story. The borer larvae consume the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting their vascular systems and causing them to dehydrate […]
