DEC tightens belt on ash products

It's small and it looks harmless, but the Emerald Ash Borer is public enemy number one on the southern tier. 

Local officials say their efforts now could help prevent an environmental catastrophe, in the future.

Starting this Monday, the Department of Environmental Conservation is tightening the belt on the transportation of ash products and all firewood in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties to try to prevent the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer to other areas of the state.

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Horticultural Inspector Raymond Jablonski said, "It affects everything from the little mom and pop operations that sell 5 to 10 cords per year to neighbors, to hunters, up to we have firewood processors that move several $100 thousand dollars in firewood per year."

Larry Everett is a part of Custom Cortage, a large firewood producer in the Town of Machias and thinks that the quarantine is overkill.

Everett said, "Came up with the conclusion that the firewood was spreading the bug; again if they want to quarantine the ash, that's not a problem. We don't have a problem with that, but we should just be able to turn the other species of wood over."

He says the new rule is enough to put them out of business because 99 percent of their firewood is delivered outside of Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties, but the ramifications of going against the newly enacted quarantine can be serious.

Jablonski said, "The federal fine for a violation of the quarantine can go up to $500,000 in fines and one year in jail."

The invasive beetle was first discovered in the United States in 2002 and quickly spread to thirteen states. New York was added to the list when 39 trees were infested with the beetle in Randolph just last month.

The DEC fears that any further spreading could have an adverse economic consequence to several wood products industries like furniture, cabinet making, flooring, and recreational products just to name a few, thus the reason for the rapid and strict response.