Taking a hard look at wooden pallets

MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – The Emerald Ash Borer may be a small beetle, but it's responsible for the destruction of millions of trees in Michigan.

As of 2008, more than 25 million trees had been destroyed.

In recent years, state officials have begun telling campers to stop moving firewood from county to county, but could US officials now be taking action to prevent the future spread of the Ash Borer?

It's something that hardly anyone notices, let alone things about, but the USDA is working to figure out if wooden pallets could be causing environmental problems.

For those in the know, there's a saying on wooden pallets; putting one into circulation is like putting a dollar bill into circulation, once it's out there, it's used and reused and there's no getting it back.

That's what concerns the USDA, since the porous wood used in pallets could harbor bacteria and invasive species.

It's an issue that people were debating in Grand Rapids on Tuesday, and it could have far-reaching implications for the environment, not just in Michigan, but across the country.

A study done in 2006 estimated that 7.6 billion board feet of wood were used for pallets, that's enough wood to fill a forest ten times the size of Manhattan Island in New York.

Opting for plastic pallets over wooden ones could help eliminate deforestation, and defend against invasive species like the Emerald Ash Borer.

For Michigan, the Ash Borer has been a scourge, killing millions of trees and costing the state millions of dollars. The Ash Borer may have hitched a ride on a wooden pallet shipped from overseas.

Now some people and companies are advocating for plastic pallets that could replace wood and be 100 percent recyclable.

"We definitely have a monetary interest but part of the reason our company was founded is we believe there's a more sustainable way to ship goods than to keep cutting down trees with all the risks involved," said Lewis Taffer of iGPS – Plastic Pallet Marketing Firm.

The hearing on wooden pallets in Grand Rapids was the fourth one organized by the USDA, which is the agency that could have the final say on wooden pallets. It is not yet clear when that decision could be made.