RANDOLPH - Stopping firewood from crossing state and county lines can help stem the spread of emerald ash borers, according to state and federal officials.

"My message comes down to three words: don't move firewood," said Mark Whitmore, an etymology professor at Cornell University and one of the officials who spoke at an informational meeting on the beetle last week in Randolph.

Transporting firewood has been a major cause of the beetle's rapid spread across the eastern United States, said Russell Biss, state Department of Environmental Conservation natural resources supervisor.

Officials identified New York's first positive borer sighting in Randolph on June 15. The beetle has spread from Michigan where it was first confirmed in 2002.

The extent of the infestation is still unknown. After the initial confirmation, the borer was found in 39 ash trees, which were cut down and chipped to prevent further spreading, Biss said.

Officials positioned about 1,200 borer traps in a seven-mile radius around Randolph in order to study the extent of the insect's spread.

A quarantine zone will be created after officials have learned how far the borer has traveled. No date has been set for when the quarantine will be initiated, although officials hope to collect the traps around Aug.1.

Ethan Angel, a state Department of Agricultural and Markets horticulture inspector, attended Tuesday's meeting and declined to give further details about the quarantine. Randolph remains the only confirmed borer site.

Once the quarantine is set up, officials will seek to limit the movement of infected wood and stop the borer's spread to other parts of New York, Angel said.

Whitmore and other officials fear the borer could devastate the roughly 900 miles of ash in New York, which accounts for about 9.5 percent of all trees in the state.

"The forest could look like it's had its front teeth knocked out," Whitmore said. "This thing is getting going like a fire in a forest."

Residents must also remain wary of borer activity in their trees. Woodpeckers in ash trees can signify the beetle's presence, but another indicator is the d-shaped holes the beetles leave in the bark, Biss said.

The borer measures less than a penny in length, has a vibrant green color on its body and a purple color on its abdomen, visible when it spreads its wings.

Adult ash borers lay their eggs in ash bark, and the larvae then bore through the tree. A tree typically survives only a few years after the adults lay their eggs.

If tree owners believe they have found a borer, they must contact DEC officials by calling 866-640-0652, who will then confirm if the tree is infested.

After a confirmed infestation, tree owners can remove the tree from their property. Owners will probably not be able to save the tree, and one of the best ways to stop further infestation is to have the tree cut down and chipped during the beetle's non-flight season, which roughly begins in September or October, Biss said.

Owners can also strip the tree's bark at least half an inch. The discarded bark should then be disposed of properly because it will still carry borer larva, Whitmore said.

Officials said they have no plans to remove trees on private property, and owners will decide how best to deal with the situation.

For more information, visit www.nyis.info; www.emeraldashborer.info; www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7235.html or www.PurpleEABsurvey.info.