Mackinac Bridge New State Checkpoint for Firewood
Goal: To Stop Spread of Emerald Ash Borer, Bovine Tuberculosis
By Ryan Schlehuber

The Mackinac Bridge is a new checkpoint site for hardwood or livestock coming into the Upper Peninsula, as state officials try to stop the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and bovine tuberculosis. Pictured with new signs that are posted on the north and south end of the bridge are Patricia Lockwood, the state’s EAB policy director for Governor Jennifer Granholm, EAB Deputy Director Gary King, and EAB Communications Specialist Tamra Weissenborn.

The Mackinac Bridge is now a state checkpoint to stop the movement of ash wood that could contain the invasive Emerald Ash Borer and livestock that could spread bovine tuberculosis to the Upper Peninsula and beyond.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) warns campers, “If you come to the Upper Peninsula for vacation, leave your firewood behind or risk being fined.” For livestock haulers, “Be prepared to have your animals inspected, and have proper identification on each animal or you may be denied access to the U.P.”

No hardwood, firewood, logs, or untreated wood of any kind is allowed to be moved into the Upper Peninsula from Lower Michigan, says the MDA in a quarantine order. State police have the authority to fine people who violate quarantine regulations. Fines can now be up to $100 per incident, but legislation already in the works could raise the penalty up to $1,000 per infraction.

Anyone carrying hardwood or livestock across the Mackinac Bridge into the U.P. will be directed by toll booth operators to pull into the Welcome Center to have their wood or animals inspected, said Gary King, MDA deputy director of emerald ash borer operations.

Livestock haulers should have proper identification and permit papers on hand for each animal and will be asked to fill out a form at the checkpoint.

“Mainly, we are asking where they are coming from, where they’re going, and what they’re carrying,” said MDA Compliance Officer Al Rodriquez. “Our main effort is to educate them on movement requirements and provide them with information.”

MDA’s inspection process is not as invasive as the U.S. Border Patrol’s inspections at the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie may be, Said Mr. King. The inspection here is more voluntary at this point, however, those who do not pull over to the checkpoint may be stopped by the State Police.

The Emerald Ash Borer, discovered in the state in 2002, is an exotic Asian beetle responsible for killing 15 million ash trees in Michigan. It does most of its damage in its larval stage, said Mr. Rodriquez, and one piece of ashwood can contain as many as 80 larvae.

Ash is considered one of the most important nursery and landscape trees, and it has been one of the most commonly planted trees in yards and urban landscapes. In Michigan, the emerald ash borer already has caused an estimated $11.6 million in damage, an Ohio State University study has found, and quarantines have restricted the sale of $2 million worth of nursery stock.

Twenty counties and 19 areas of outlying infestation, all in Lower Michigan, are under a statewide EAB quarantine that prohibits the movement of hardwood to help control and contain it. To stop the movement of infested firewood, state officials are now protecting “gateway exits” to the U.P., Canada, and other neighboring states such as Ohio and Indiana.

MDA set up the checkpoint station at the Mackinac Bridge Thursday, May 26, and will keep it in place throughout the summer. Any hardwood brought past the bridge will be seized by inspectors and tossed into garbage bins on site. MDA officials will then dispose of the wood by chipping or burning the pile.

Signs have been posted on I-75 south of the bridge to warn people that it is their last chance to dump their firewood, because once they cross the bridge, they are violating quarantine regulations.

Awareness of the problems, said Mr. King, is MDA’s best weapon against the spread of EAB or bovine tuberculosis.

“We’re not trying to catch people in the act, rather, we’re trying to get people to just comply with the quarantine regulations,” said Mr. King. “Our emphasis right now is education outreach.”

The MDA is working with the state Department of Natural Resources, Michigan State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Michigan State Police to ensure the ash borer does not spread outside quarantine areas in the Lower Peninsula. So far, there has been no indication that the ash borer has made it to the Upper Peninsula.

EAB was probably introduced to the United States from China eight to 10 years ago from wood packing material goods, said Mr. King.

Michigan had no bovine tuberculosis cases reported as of last year, said Dr. Steve Halstead, the state veterinarian. State officials are battling the disease in both agricultural animals and wildlife, specifically white-tailed deer.

“We’re hoping in the next five years we are clear of bovine tuberculosis,” said Dr. Halstead.

Bovine tuberculosis spread through the nation in the 1900s, according to Dr. Halstead. Michigan was clear of the disease in 1979, but cases were discovered in white-tailed deer in Lower Michigan in the late 1990s. Since then, there have been 33 reported cases of bovine tuberculosis in Michigan, mostly in cattle. No cases have been reported in the Upper Peninsula.

In its larval stage, the Emerald Ash Borer does its most damage to ash trees. As larvae hatch, they feed on the phloem and outer sapwood, creating an S-shaped tunnel just under the bark.