MDA details EAB quarantine, regulated articles and firewood rules for Minnesota

Danielle DeVito, regulatory coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, explained the state’s regulatory approach to emerald ash borer and what residents and businesses must know about moving wood and other regulated articles.

DeVito said Minnesota maintains two quarantine types: an external quarantine restricting regulated materials entering the state without permission, and internal quarantines the state imposes around detections. She described the MDA EAB map as a stoplight: red zones are quarantined areas where regulated materials cannot leave without an agreement; yellow zones allow limited, case‑by‑case movement; and green zones allow freer movement within the quarantine area.

On regulated articles, DeVito said the rules cover all parts of ash trees, the EAB insect itself, mulch (because mulch can be mixed with ash), and firewood. "If it's red, you can't leave that area," she said, noting that businesses can operate under compliance agreements that permit certified movement after treatment or under limited permits that move untreated material only to an approved treatment site.

DeVito provided a specific operational definition for firewood used in the quarantine: all hardwood under four feet in length, split or unsplit, is treated as regulated firewood because smaller pieces mix and are hard to identify. She urged residents to "buy local and burn local" and pointed to the 'certified safe to move' seal applied to heat‑treated firewood from businesses that kiln‑treat product to ensure pests are destroyed.

On interstate movement, DeVito answered a chat question noting Wisconsin is not regulated for EAB, so ash products may move into Wisconsin from the quarantined Minnesota county; returning material into Minnesota remains subject to the external quarantine without an agreement. She encouraged businesses and municipalities with questions to call MDA to arrange compliance agreements or limited permits.

DeVito closed by describing common compliance tools (certified‑safe seals, limited permits) and how they mitigate human‑assisted spread while allowing essential commerce such as road construction or emergency movements under defined protocols.