LANSING, Mich. - State Representative Dudley Spade (D-Tipton) today commended the City of Adrian for their work in securing a $17,750 Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Grant from the State of Michigan. The money, which is awarded annually by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is earmarked for tree planting and urban forestry management projects in cities in the twenty-one quarantined EAB counties.
"While Lenawee County has not yet experienced the same level of devastation the beetle has wrought in other parts of the state, hundreds of trees have had to be removed in the 57th District because of the bug's destructive habits," Spade said. He added "As Michigan continues efforts to eradicate this pest and restore natural beauty to the landscape; I am committed to seeing that we take every necessary step to ensure that this problem is addressed."
The DNR, Urban and Community Forestry and Forest Health programs administer these federally funded grants as part of the State's cooperative response to the EAB situation. Established with funding from the USDA Forest Service, this program was developed to assist Michigan communities affected by the EAB. Through these grants, affected communities and non-profit organizations within the 21 EAB quarantined counties in Michigan were eligible for financial and technical assistance in support of tree planting, community tree inventory and urban forestry management plan projects. This grant announcement represents the fourth round of grant assistance through this program.
Since it was identified in the State during the summer of 2002, the EAB has killed more than 15 million ash trees in southeast Michigan, as well as parts of Windsor, Canada, northwest Ohio and northeast Indiana.