Emerald Ash Borer Meeting at Lafayette, Thurs., Dec. 10

Emerald Ash Borer Informational Meeting

WHAT: Public meeting to answer questions about the recent discovery of emerald ash borer on Park Point in Duluth.

WHEN:                  Thursday, December 10, 2015, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

WHERE:  Lafayette Community Recreation Center

3026 Minnesota Avenue, Duluth, MN 55802

On October 23, 2015, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) confirmed an EAB infestation on Park Point in the city of Duluth. The find was discovered as part of a three-year study the MDA is conducting in partnership with the city.

Those attending the upcoming meeting will have an opportunity to listen to presentations on EAB, hear about local plans to deal with the insect, and learn how residents can limit the spread of the bug. Experts from the MDA, city of Duluth, University of Minnesota, and other state and federal partner agencies will be available to answer questions.

WHO: Representatives from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, city of Duluth, University of Minnesota, and other state and federal partner agencies will be available to answer questions.

The public will also have an opportunity to provide input on the adoption of a formal EAB quarantine of Park Point. An emergency quarantine was placed on the area when EAB was discovered.

The MDA will take comments on the formal quarantine from November 30, 2015 – January 15, 2016 and proposes to adopt the quarantine on February 1, 2016. The quarantine limits the movement of ash trees and limbs, and hardwood firewood off of Park Point. The proposed quarantine language can be found atwww.mda.state.mn.us/eab. Comments can be made at the public meeting on December 10 or by contacting:

Kimberly Thielen Cremers
Minnesota Department of Agriculture

625 Robert Street North

St. Paul, MN 55155

kimberly.tcremers@state.mn.us

Fax: 651-201-6108

Emerald ash borer larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the trunk. Minnesota is highly susceptible to the destruction caused by invasive insect. The state has approximately one billion ash trees, the most of any state in the nation. For more information on emerald ash borer, go to www.mda.state.mn.us/eab.