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Tree Quarantine Set In Boulder To Stop Beetle

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Officials battling the spread of a destructive beetle in Boulder County have quarantined firewood and ash.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture on Tuesday announced the quarantine Tuesday.

The move means firewood and ash products cannot be moved from one of the quarantined counties unless permitted by state regulators. Officials say most infestations have been started by people accidentally moving infested firewood, nursery plants or sawmill logs.

The quarantined area includes all of Boulder County and the entire town of Erie. It also extends eastward, covering an area bordered on the south by Colo. 7, on the north by Colo. 52 and on the east by Weld County Road 7.

An estimated 15 percent of the urban forest in the Denver metro area is ash trees.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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