Mulch Mania

Following is an e-mail from our county agent regarding the recent spate of e-mails re Louisiana mulch.
zem
----- Original Message ----- Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 1:34 PM
Subject: Fw: Mulch Mania



FYI


William B. Wyatt
Extension Agent
Madison County
(731) 668-8543
----- Forwarded by William B Wyatt/MADISON/EXT/UTIA on 03/07/2006 01:32 PM -----


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| Agriculture & Forestry Today with Commissioner Bob Odom of Louisiana
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| Contact: Ashley Rodrigue
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| March 3, 2006
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| Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.
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| That is the message Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Bob Odom
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| is stressing to the public as an email rumor about Formosan
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| termite-infested mulch is circling the globe.
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| The email warns consumers not to purchase "cheap" wood mulch at major
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| home improvement chains because it may be infested with Formosan
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| termites.
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| "The email is not accurate and doesn't even mention the quarantines
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| this department put in place last fall to keep Formosan termites from
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| spreading," Odom said. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and
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| Forestry issued quarantines following the hurricanes for woody debris
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| in
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| Cameron, Calcasieu, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Orleans, Plaquemines,
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| St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and
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| Washington parishes. Woody debris cannot be moved out of these areas
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| without first submitting a plan for treatment to the department.
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| "I've had my people out looking into these claims to make sure there
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| are no violations of the quarantine. I've also had our invasive pest
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| expert contact the stores mentioned in the email and we've yet to
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| any validity to the claims in the email," Odom said.
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| "In my opinion, someone is using the Internet to cause hysteria about
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| a
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| problem that doesn't really exist. If there are people out there who
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| know about someone violating the quarantines, then they need to
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| it to us. We'll shut the culprits down real quick but it has to be
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| reported," Odom said. "I think the quarantines doing the job, though.
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| We've worked with the debris contractors, the Corps of Engineers and
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| FEMA to handle the debris and quarantines."
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| To report a quarantine violation, call (225) 925-3763. -30-
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++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Darrell D. Hensley

University of Tennessee

Entomology & Plant Pathology

2431 Joe Johnson Dr., 218 PSB.

Knoxville, TN 37996-4560



EMAIL

"dhensley@mail.ag.utk.edu" OR "dhensley@utk.edu"

Phone (865) 974-7958

FAX (865) 974-8868


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