I've seen very little coverage of this infested-firewood story in Iowa,
either in newspapers or on TV, which puzzles me. The news release from the Iowa
Department of Agriculture was certainly ominous.
I emailed a reporter and three editorial writers at the REGISTER, asking
about coverage of this story, and none of them responded. If any media people
assume that spraying can take care of any problems if borers emerge, a la spot
infestations of gypsy moths, they're in for a surprise. Based on
experience in other states, nothing stops emerged borers, and unlike gypsy moths,
which only defoliate trees, borers kill them.
I read in the Ames DAILY TRIBUNE that live emerald ash borer larvae have
been found in the Taylor firewood in Wisconsin and Minnesota, so I assume some
of the Taylor's Wood firewood sold in Iowa may be infested as well. If it
isn't burned, any borers in it could emerge any day now. Good luck to Iowa's
seventy million ash trees.
ch
***
From the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINAL, May 6, 2007
Editorial: A lack of vigilance
Bought any Taylor's Wood firewood lately at a Menards home improvement
store? Burn it. Now. Then send Menards a letter asking why two of its southern
Wisconsin stores were still selling the firewood more than a week after state
authorities had told the company to remove Taylor's Wood products from shelves.
Maybe that will send a message to Menards honchos, some of whose employees
seem to have trouble remembering what they're supposed to sell and what they're
not supposed to sell.
The firewood recall order came April 13. Menards was given 24 hours to remove
all firewood that violated a federal quarantine designed to keep the emerald
ash borer from stealing into the state on the back of a log cut outside
Wisconsin. More than a week later, according to state officials, banned wood was
still for sale at two stores.
Nor is this the first time Menards has run afoul of government regulators
trying to contain a pest that has already destroyed more than 20 million ash
trees in the Midwest.
The home improvement chain was investigated by Michigan officials in 2004 for
selling live ash trees where the sale of such trees was prohibited. The
company got a warning. Last summer, a Menards store in Traverse City, Mich., was
caught doing the same thing. The Michigan Agriculture Department is seeking
$7,000 in fines.
Wisconsin officials might want to consider what they can do to send a strong
message to Menards. The emerald ash borer is a serious threat to Midwestern
trees. If left unchecked, the tree-killing bug could cause up to $300 billion
in damage, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Checking it requires
constant vigilance on the part of officials, businesses and consumers.
Menards says it has pulled 23,014 bundles and acquired a new firewood vendor.
And a Minnesota official said the company has been "very cooperative" in the
recall effort in that state.
But Menards is a Wisconsin company. It should have been doubly vigilant in
its own backyard.
For more on invasive species and firewood rules, go to
_www.dnr.state.wi.us/invasives/firewood_ (http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/invasives/firewood)
***
Cindy Hildebrand
[log in to unmask]
Ames, IA 50010
"The firm, undulatory flight of the hairy woodpecker is a frequent sight,
and his resolute, penetrating pimp...is often heard along the streets." (Selden
Lincoln Whitcomb, describing Grinnell, Iowa in 1885)
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