Officials mull plan to build barrier against beetle

Ash trees must be destroyed to eliminate the beetles' food.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Government officials are considering an ambitious plan to contain the infestation of a tree-killing beetle by cutting down ash trees in a miles-wide swath across Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.
The exact route has not been determined, but the goal is to create a natural barrier that could extend in a semicircle south from Michigan into northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana, according to the Ohio and U.S. agriculture departments and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
The emerald ash borer has wiped out millions of ash trees in southeast Michigan. It also has been found in Ohio and northeast Indiana.
The barrier, in theory, would stop the beetle from spreading from its core infestation in Detroit.
The plan is similar to an "ash-free zone" created by Canadian officials to keep the bug from spreading to Windsor.
"They actually cut down every ash tree in a zone 6 miles wide," said Sharon Lucik, spokeswoman with the U.S. Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service in Brighton, Mich.
Why destroy the trees?
With pesticides ineffective, it's necessary to destroy ash trees so the beetle won't be able to find food. The barrier would be 3 to 6 miles wide because it's believed the ash borer doesn't travel farther than a half mile on its own.
U.S. Forestry Service maps will be used to determine the number of ash trees in the zone, Lucik said.
The cost of creating the barrier hasn't been estimated. The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to spend up to $43.4 million on ash borer eradication efforts this year.
Lucik said more details of the plan might be available in two weeks, after officials from all three states, the forestry service and the federal Agriculture Department hold more meetings.
The first Ohio infestations were found last year. Officials want to make sure they've wiped out all the infestations in Ohio before they set up a barrier to keep the bug out, said Melanie Witt, spokeswoman for the state Agriculture Department.
About the beetle
A native of Asia, the ash borer was discovered in the United States two years ago in Michigan. Officials think it traveled to this country inside wood packing crates.
The beetle larvae kill host trees by eating the layers under the bark that supply water and nutrients. When those layers are destroyed, the trees starve to death.
Planners want to keep the zone out of urban areas to protect homeowner's trees. That means it could zigzag across as many farm fields as possible because there are no trees there.
The zone could take up to eight years to plan and complete, said Bob Waltz, state entomologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
"The ultimate goal of all of this is to protect the ash [tree] resources of North America," Waltz said. "When it gets in the trees, it kills them. This guy takes no prisoners."