Week of November 8, 2010
Invasive Species Threaten Future of N.Y. Forests The spread of Asian insects kills key American species in Northeast By A. Drew Muscente Published on The Cornell Daily Sun ( http://www.cornellsun.com ) It is illegal to transport some firewood across the state of New York — doing so may lead to consequences. On March 29 of last year, the N.Y. Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) instituted a series of regulations, strictly limiting the movement of firewood. Its import is prohibited unless the firewood is first treated with insecticides; local wood may not be transported more than 50 miles from its natural source; and all firewood must be accompanied by a receipt. These regulations represent the response to invasive insect species, particularly the emerald ash borer, the hemlock woolly adelgid and the eastern longhorned beetle. One anonymous source characterized these species as “the holy trinity of invasive species” — a powerful trifecta of Asian insects capable of drastically...