A shiny green bug is posing a threat to one of Warren County’s biggest industries. The invasive emerald ash borer has already invaded forestry operations in northern states. While it hasn’t shown up here yet, the pesky beetle is likely to show up in Warren County soon, causing massive destruction to timber and landscaping.
“They’ve quarantined some areas and aren’t moving forest products. I think that’s a concern for Mississippi,” Warren County Extension Agent Anna McCain said. In Warren County, forestry is a $340 million a year industry, according to the extension service. Halting shipment of timber could be devastating.
The insect was introduced into North America sometime in the 1990s and began killing ash trees in Michigan in 2002. “They bore into bark and introduce disease and other insects,” McCain said.
The ash borer has been reported as far south as Georgia and major infestations have occurred in eastern Tennessee, southwest Arkansas and parts of northwest Louisiana. Areas of all three states face a quarantine, meaning timber products could not be moved into or through nonquarantined areas.
Such a designation could be disastrous for hardwood production in Mississippi, which is on a list of states facing possible infestation in the next five years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
From The Vicksburg Post: https://www.vicksburgpost.com/2015/07/21/beetle-invasion-pesky-bug-could-halt-timber-industry/