The Akron Beacon Journal has a report about a group that is taking issue with the current plans to control the invasion of the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) in the Great Lakes region. The Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership for Biodiversity is made up of more than two dozen different local, state, and federal organizations. Their claim is that current EAB management practices, which involve wholesale removal of the ash trees surrounding an infestation, are causing irreparable damage to the environment. Instead of the current heavy machinery that is used, they advocates low-impact removal techniques. They also claim that the practice of creating quarantine zones to prevent removal of wood is doomed to fail.
The ISW, as a big fan of openness and public accountability, requests that the Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership for Biodiversity gets itself a website and posts the five-page opinion statement that is alluded to in the article.
3 comments:
Just from what you mentioned (Akron Journal report link incorrect), I would probably agree with them. There just isn't a way to cut down every ash tree in a swath wide enough to prevent beetle spread, even supposing you know exactly where the front line is. It would certainly involve going into parks and woodlots with large machinery, and would do further damage. Having seen what this has done to ash trees in Michigan, it's a tragedy, but I don't really think we have an effective means to curb this pest right now.
Link is now fixed - thanks!
Ciao, ho letto il tuo blog e penso che sia bello. Ti saluto dall'Italia. Mauro.
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