Pests, Disease, Drought Hit Mich. Forests In 2010
TRAVERSE CITY (AP) - A new report says Michigan's forests were hammered last year by the emerald ash borer, beech bark disease and a variety of other ailments and invasive pests.
In an analysis released Thursday, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment says people continue to make the invasive species problem worse by moving firewood infested with exotic organisms. The unwelcome critters also work their way into nursery stock and wooden pallets that are hauled around the state.
Lynne Boyd is chief of the Forest Management Division and says insects and foreign species are a big danger to Michigan's 19.3 million acres of woodlands.
Industries connected to Michigan forests such as timber and recreation provide 136,000 jobs and pump $14 billion into the state's economy each year.
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