Exotic wood-boring beetles have been arriving in Minnesota on imported wood products. Early detection and eradication can prevent them from escaping and spreading into Minnesota forests. You can help!
I've never come across this before. Is it really an issue?
Most invasive species are introduced to new environments when they are accidentally carried by travelers or transported with imported goods – think of Dutch elm disease or emerald ash borer. Incidents of live, exotic wood-boring beetles arriving in Minnesota on imported wood products have recently occurred. As trade networks expand, the volume of goods being shipped around the world each day grows, and the risk of introducing new invasive species intensifies.
Insects have been transported into the U.S. on a wide variety of wood products including bamboo garden stakes, wood pallets, holiday wooden tree displays, and rustic log furniture. Wood furniture was not previously recognized as a significant threat due to the presumption that wood is rendered pest-free in the production process.
Imported wood and wood products may threaten you business.
Invasive plant pests are non-native insects or disease pathogens that can harm our forests and croplands. Annually, these species cause billions of dollars in economic losses for timber producers, property owners, and governments at the local, state, and federal levels. Most invasive plant pest species get introduced when they are accidentally carried by travelers or transported with imported goods.
Non-native pests have been responsible for nearly wiping out entire tree species within decades. The most visible and tragic example in Minnesota has been the decimation of our elm tree population due to Dutch elm disease. This non-native fungus is believed to have been introduced to the state in 1968 via shipments on the Mississippi River containing bark beetle-infested wood products. The beetles transmitted the fungus to living trees, and it continues to ravage Minnesota’s elms to this day. A more recent invader, the emerald ash borer insect is now poised to replicate this level of devastation among our ash trees. Native to eastern Asia, emerald ash borer was found in Detroit in 2002 and has rapidly become one of the most destructive forest pests ever encountered in the United States. Like Dutch elm disease, emerald ash borer likely arrived here as an unintended hitchhiker in cargo.
