Three counties added to ash borer quarantine

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Agriculture has expanded the state’s emerald ash borer quarantine to include Hardin, Logan, and Mercer counties, where the ash tree-killing insect was recently discovered.
Illegal movement. It is now illegal to move ash trees, parts of ash trees and all hardwood firewood – materials that could harbor the pest – out of these counties.
Officials found the infestations while inspecting detection trees – ash trees that have been stressed by removing a ring of bark – to look for ash borer populations across the state.
Known areas of infestation are quarantined to stop the artificial spread of the borer through ash tree materials and firewood.
Restrictions. Citizens can freely move hardwood firewood and ash trees within quarantined counties and contiguously quarantined areas, but cannot take these potentially infested materials outside of quarantined areas. Violators face fines up to $4,000.
Firewood dealers, businesses, or woodlot owners interested in marketing and transporting ash trees or firewood out of quarantined areas can do so only with a department-approved compliance agreement.