State Looking At Possible Invasive Species Quarantine For Allegan County

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woodsgood-7

The Michigan Department of Agriculture is inviting the public to comment on possible plans to set up an invasive species quarantine in Allegan, Muskegon, and Ottawa Counties. Spokesperson Jennifer Holton tells WSJM News they’ve recently found a bug called the hemlock woolly adelgid in those counties.

“Hemlock wooly adelgid is an insect pest from Asia that has caused the deaths of millions of hemlock trees,” Holton said. “About 170 million hemlock trees reside in Michigan, so this is clearly a pest of significant concern for both both the  Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.”

Similar to quarantines that were set up to stop the emerald ash borer, a quarantine of the affected counties could mean regulated movement of hemlock trees, heat treatment for certain trees, or fumigation. You can find out about the possible quarantine plan at Michigan.gov/PestQuarantines.