Q1. What is a quarantine?
A1. A quarantine is a temporary rule intended to help prevent a potentially dangerous or destructive pest or disease organism from spreading outside a known infested area into new areas. In the case of emerald ash borer (EAB), the quarantine is designed to limit the movement of potentially infested firewood or other materials such as live ash trees that might harbor EAB larvae.
Q2. What areas of Minnesota are currently quarantined for emerald ash borer?
A2. See the most current EAB quarantine in Minnesota.
Q3. What are regulated articles?
A3. The following are three categories of regulated articles:
- The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis)
- Ash trees (Fraxinus spp.), ash limbs and branches, ash stumps and roots, ash logs, ash chips, ash bark chips
- Firewood of any hardwood (deciduous) species
Q4. What is the definition of firewood?
A4. Firewood means wood cut to lengths less than four feet long. This includes firewood cut for personal use.
Q5. What is a Compliance Agreement?
A5. A Compliance Agreement is a document that describes how a company will properly treat regulated articles to mitigate the spread of EAB and adhere to the quarantine law. An MDA representative is available to discuss Compliance Agreements in more detail at the request of any business or other entity involved in moving regulated articles. MDA can provide free training on EAB and also help determine how any business can lower the risk of spreading EAB with the least amount of disruption to business practices.
Q6. Do I need a Compliance Agreement?
A6. If you are moving regulated articles (e.g., ash material or hardwood firewood) out of a quarantine area you will need a Compliance Agreement. Ash material that originates from a non-quarantine county and transits the quarantine may require a Compliance Agreement, and it is recommended you contact the MDA for further information.
Q7. How do I get a Compliance Agreement?
A7. You can contact Report a Pest at 888-545-6684, or e-mail us at reportapest@state.mn.us and say you are interested in a Compliance Agreement for emerald ash borer. An MDA official will work with you to determine which Compliance Agreements –if any– are needed, explain the requirements, and work with you to implement any needed quarantine restrictions.
Q8. Why is all hardwood firewood regulated instead of only ash firewood?
A8. Once a log has been cut and split, it is extremely difficult to identify ash wood from other hardwood species. While this is especially true for the casual firewood user and homeowner, the experience of other EAB regulatory agencies across the nation have shown that the same has often applied to firewood businesses, too. Therefore, due to the potential risk associated with moving EAB-infested firewood, all hardwood firewood is regulated. There are no EAB quarantine restrictions on coniferous species of firewood, such as pine, spruce and fir.
Q9. Does the quarantine affect movement of hardwood (non-ash) nursery stock or hardwood (non-ash) wood products?
A9. In regards to EAB there are no restrictions on the intrastate movement of non-ash hardwood products such as nursery stock, logs, branches, green lumber or chips in Minnesota. However, the movement of all hardwood firewood out of quarantined counties is regulated.
Q10. Does the quarantine affect the movement of material within the quarantine areas?
A10. There are guidelines or best management practices for working with ash in known infested areas.
There are no legal restrictions for the movement of regulated materials within the quarantine.
Q11. What can I do with my ash material from a quarantined county?
A11. There are multiple options available:
- Ash material can be brought to a disposal site within the quarantine. See list of ash waste disposal sites.
- Material can be utilized within the quarantine for any legal purpose.
** If removing ash material or other regulate articles from the quarantine, the following options may be used but require a Compliance Agreement with the MDA. We advise that this Compliance Agreement be in place before beginning processing operations. **
- Material can be chipped to one inch or less in two dimensions (two of three measurements-length, width and thickness-must be one inch or smaller).
- Material can be debarked, which means complete bark removal plus half an inch of wood.
- Material can be composted, material must reach at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit for four days and the pile must be turned after four days.
- Material can be heat treated; the center of the wood must reach at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes.
- Material can be kiln dried; must meet USDA guidelines.
- Material can be fumigated by a licensed fumigator.
- Material can be transported to an approved facility during the period of October 1 to April 30.
Q12. If I sign a Compliance Agreement, will I be required to keep records?
A12. Yes. If your company ships regulated articles under a Compliance Agreement or with MDA certification, you will need to maintain those shipping and/or certification records for 36 months, unless otherwise specified.
Q13. Do I have to keep records of shipments or treatments that do not involve regulated articles?
A13. The MDA does not require records for treatment or shipment of non-regulated articles.
Q14. Can I bring firewood from a non-quarantined area into a quarantined area?
A14. There are no legal restrictions on firewood that originates from a non-quarantined county. Firewood is allowed to come into those counties from a non-quarantined county. Once the firewood enters into a quarantined area, it becomes a regulated article.
Q15. If I have further questions about EAB or Compliance Agreements, or if I think I have found EAB, who do I contact?
A15. The Report a Pest Hotline is available for a wide variety of questions related to emerald ash borer. Contact us at 1-888-545-6684 (voicemail) or reportapest@state.mn.us.
