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91_HR0107
LRB9100731KBkbB
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The Asian long-horned beetle (Anoplophora
3 glabripennis), a very destructive insect pest which attacks a
4 wide variety of healthy, living trees, was first found in New
5 York City in 1996; and
6 WHEREAS, Infestations of the Asian long-horned beetle
7 have been traced to raw lumber used to pack goods shipped
8 from China; and
9 WHEREAS, Infestations of the Asian long-horned beetle
10 were first discovered in the Ravenswood neighborhood in
11 Chicago, Illinois in July, 1998; and
12 WHEREAS, Subsequent to the discovery of initial
13 infestations, local, State, and federal inspectors have
14 conducted intensive surveys and have located additional
15 infestations in Summit in Cook County and Addison in DuPage
16 County; and
17 WHEREAS, In late July, 1998, the City of Chicago issued a
18 beetle alert notifying the public about the Asian long-horned
19 beetle and efforts to identify and eradicate infestations in
20 the City; and
21 WHEREAS, On July 28, 1998, the Illinois Department of
22 Agriculture issued a quarantine order for the Asian
23 long-horned beetle in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago;
24 in August, the State expanded the quarantine area around the
25 Ravenswood neighborhood, and extended its quarantine to
26 include the area around Summit in Cook County and Addison in
27 DuPage County; and
28 WHEREAS, The Illinois House of Representatives held a
29 public hearing in Chicago on August 17, 1998 on the status of
30 Asian long-horned beetle infestations in the Chicago
31 metropolitan area; and
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1 WHEREAS, On August 23, 1998, the Illinois Department of
2 Agriculture declared trees infested with the Asian
3 long-horned beetle to be an official "public nuisance" under
4 the Insect Pest and Plant Disease Act; and
5 WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided
6 funds to help pay the cost of removing infested trees on
7 public and private property, and the City of Chicago used its
8 own personnel and equipment to remove infested trees from
9 City property in the infested areas; therefore, be it
10 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
11 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
12 the Illinois Department of Agriculture be commended for the
13 professional and expeditious manner in which it implemented
14 measures to pinpoint areas infested with the Asian
15 long-horned beetle, establish a quarantine of infested areas,
16 and remove infested trees; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Natural
18 Resources be commended for providing assistance, through its
19 Forest Protection and Health Management Program, in the form
20 of grants to plant trees on public property to replace
21 infested ones which have been removed; and be it further
22 RESOLVED, That the U.S. Department of Agriculture be
23 commended for providing assistance in the form of technical
24 expertise, personnel, and funds to locate and remove infested
25 trees; and be it further
26 RESOLVED, That Mayor Richard M. Daley and Alderman Eugene
27 Schulter of the City of Chicago be commended for their timely
28 assistance in identifying and removing trees infested with
29 the Asian long-horned beetle and subsequent reforestation
30 efforts; and be it further
31 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
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1 delivered to the Directors of Agriculture and Natural
2 Resources, the Governor, the Mayor of the City of Chicago,
3 the Chicago City Council, and the Secretary of the U.S.
4 Department of Agriculture.