People often ask if there's something they can do for the environment. Here's an easy one:
Don't move firewood far from its source, for example when traveling to go camping.
Yesterday I attended training by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Penn State Cooperative Extension. One of the sessions was about forest pests and included a discussion of the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) a beautiful beetle that threatens ash trees. The beetle (known in shorthand as EAB) has damaged or killed millions of ash trees in affected areas of five states but has not been found in Pennsylvania so far. EAB, a native of Asia, was first discovered in Michigan in 2002.
Counties where it is found have been quarantined but there has been some spread to other states. Firewood is one potential vector for its movement. Ash trees are beautiful and the wood is strong (it's used for baseball bats). Emerald ash borer has its own website.
