LANSING – State Representative Gino H. Polidori (D-Dearborn) today announced that the City of Dearborn will receive a grant award under the 2006 Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Grant Program. Under the program, the City of Dearborn will receive $20,000 to combat the effects of EAB on the local environment.
"This is excellent news for Dearborn," Rep. Polidori said. "The Emerald Ash Borer has killed millions of ash trees in southeast Michigan. This grant will help Dearborn fight to protect our precious resources."
The Department of Natural Resources administers these federally funded grants as part of the state's cooperative response to the EAB situation. Through these grants, affected communities within the EAB-quarantined areas of Michigan were eligible for financial and technical assistance in support of tree planting projects. Overall, 45 projects were approved state-wide, which totaled $644,635 in federal funds. Funding from the EAB Grant Program is used in support of tree planting, community tree inventory, and urban forestry management plan projects. The program is in its second year.
Since it was identified in Michigan in 2002, the Emerald Ash Borer has killed more than 15 million ash trees. Twenty-one Michigan counties, including Wayne County, are currently under EAB quarantine, and the affected area has spread to include parts of Indiana, Northwest Ohio, and Windsor, Canada.