State and federal environmental officials reviewed some of the options for containing the emerald ash borer, which has caused nearly $11 billion in damage across the country.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Emerald ash borer infestation, discovered in Berkshire County for the first time last year, cannot be stopped, but it can be contained and combated.
That was the message of state and federal forestry officials this week, addressing area residents at the first public forum on the subject since the county was placed under a firewood quarantine in March.
In the presentation, held at Berkshire Community College on Wednesday, representatives of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and U.S. Forest Service delved deeper into the potential toll the invasive wood-boring pest could take on the area, outlining costly measures with which the agencies hope to avert what they depicted as a much costlier economic and ecological crisis.
"Emerald ash borer has become the most destructive forest pest that we have in North America in just the last 10 years," said Nathan Siegert, entomologist for the Forest Service and one of the world's leading experts on the species.
The impact of the beetle, Siegert said, far overwhelms that of all other invasive species, affecting both woodland and urban areas. In 2010, researchers had estimated the direct and indirect financial cost of the infestation over this decade at $10.7 billion nationally. At that time, the portion of that impact to New England states was at only around $800 million, but things have changed.
"A year ago, we didn't know of any infestation east of the Hudson River," said Siegert, who added that subsequent to the infestation found in Dalton, samples have turned up in Connecticut and New Hampshire.
Specialists have begun implementing measures to counteract the bug where it's been found, while monitoring and trying to slow further spread. Because the insect generally spreads over distances through either commercial firewood transport or to get to ash trees, their plan is to quarantine the infestations, then concentrate the borers through select deforestation, girdled trees, and other trapping measures. Once so confined, those populations can then be targeted through "biological controls," such as natural predators like woodpeckers and wasps, to reduce their numbers.
"It can be cost effective to spend money to try to slow advancement of existing populations, as well to spend money to try and prevent the establishment of new satellite infestations," said Siegert.
Ash makes up about 4 percent of the state's trees, but 64 percent of that is in Berkshire County alone. Once infected, an ash tree will be dead within three to four years. The estimated economic impact to Massachusetts if all of the species succumbs rapidly has previously been estimated by the DCR to be up to $500 million.
"This is a small population we've found so far, a very, very small, isolated population, which is good for us," explained Ken Gooch, forest health program director. "Our hope is to keep it contained right there as long as we can by using some of these methods."
The current quarantine prohibits transporting ash lumber or firewood of any species cut in pieces shorter than 48 inches to any place outside of Berkshire County. The exception is to bordering counties of New York, as they are also quarantined, but shipments further east are banned.
But not everyone is content with the current handling of the beetle problem in Massachusetts.
Neil Toomey, who owns a tree farm in Becket, complained that the nature of the DCR's quarantine unfairly penalizes Berkshire area businesses that are willingly complying while losing clients to those who are not.
"Wood is being moved illegally as we speak by others who realize DCR's inability to enforce the quarantine," said Toomey, "I'm volunteering compliance, and I'm being punished."
Toomey said he's lobbied the DCR to either allow him to segregate all ash from his stock and move the other types of firewood, or make the quarantine statewide so that export is not cut off at the county line.
Toomey's concerns were echoed by state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, D-Lenox, who previously commended the department on being proactive in enacting the quarantine earlier this spring.
"I would encourage you to think about a statewide ban or quarantine of a statewide issue on the emerald ash borer," Pignatelli told them, "I think we're putting some people at a very serious financial hardship for one or two bugs that were found in Dalton."
Pignatelli questioned the fairness of the current unenforced restrictions on local business people like the Toomey family, whose business will simply pass to other noncompliant operations.
"I don't want to be the state representative to have to say 'the state of Massachusetts put somebody out of business,' " said Pignatelli, "and I would like to know what we're going to do about this to either get them into compliance, or let's do a statewide quarantine on the emerald ash borer so that people can make a living and cross county lines.
"If there's one business that goes out of business in this economy because of the emerald ash borer that was found in Dalton, I've got a problem with that," concluded the representative.
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State Closes Brookside Road Bridge
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.— Brookside Road bridge was closed today following a routine inspection by the MA Department of Transportation.
Town Public Works Superintendent Joe Aberdale said the DOT inspection report now requires further state review and that there is no information yet on a timeline for reopening. Brookside Road is located south of town and runs east to Brush Hill Road and Boardman Street.
Aberdale said load limits on the older, trestle bridge have been disregarded for some years by heavy vehicles. He said that usage has likely taken a toll on the span over the Housatonic River.
Southbound drivers heading to Brush Hill and the north end of Boardman Street will need to travel further south on Route 7 to Kellogg Road and then onto Boardman Street, heading north.
"We will keep residents informed as we learn more from the state DOT," said Aberdale.
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