On the Lookout for Tree-Chompers
State officials are surveying 44 counties, including Racine County, this winter for signs of an exotic beetle that destroys ash trees. Mick Skwarok, a plant pest and disease specialist with state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, said last week that no reports of the emerald ash borer have been confirmed in Wisconsin. But he said it’s reasonable to assume the beetle is in Wisconsin, given the state’s proximity to areas of infestation in Illinois. So the search continues. Ash trees are identified for inspection, cut down and taken to the Racine County Department of Public Works garage, where they are stripped of their bark in a search for the beetle. A total of 20 trees have been felled in Racine County, and 12 have been stripped and searched, officials said.
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