Michigan DNR to host Emerald Ash Borer Forest Management Workshops in Upper Peninsula in April

The Department of Natural Resources will host three emerald ash borer forest management workshops in April for private landowners in the western Upper Peninsula.

The workshops are designed for landowners who are interested in learning how to best manage upland hardwood stands containing ash, in order to best prepare for the potential impacts of an emerald ash borer infestation. Emerald ash borers are an invasive species that cause significant damage to ash trees. Proper ash management before emerald ash borers are present can help landowners recoup their timber investment, while also slowing the spread of the invasive borers across the landscape.

Workshop participants will hear from forest health specialists and foresters from the DNR and Michigan Department of Agriculture about ash management, timber sale set-up and implementation, emerald ash borer biology, current outbreak locations and a general update on forest health issues. Federal and state programs that address emerald ash borer problems will also be discussed.

The workshop schedule is as follows:

• Wednesday, April 6, Bay de Noc Community College-West Campus, 2801 US-2, Iron Mountain, 7 to 9 p.m. Central Time. 
• Tuesday, April 19, Michigan Technological University, Lakeshore Conference Center Community Room, 600 East Lakeshore Dr., Houghton. 7 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time. 
• Wednesday, April 20, Gogebic Community College, David G. Lindquist Building Conference Room, E4946 Jackson Rd., Ironwood, 7 to 9 p.m. Central Time.

For more information about the emerald ash borer workshops, contact DNR foresters Ernie Houghton at 906-786-2351 or Gary Willis at 906-353-6651. To learn more about emerald ash borer in Michigan, go online to www.michigan.gov/foresthealth or www.michigan.gov/eab.

Persons with disabilities needing accommodations should contact Ernie Houghton at 906-786-2351, or Gary Willis at 906-353-6651, at least five business days before the scheduled workshop. All three workshop locations are in accessible facilities.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.