ASHLAND — Emerald ash borer has been detected for the first time in Ashland County.
The ash tree-killing beetles were found at multiple locations in the city of Ashland April 6 and confirmed to be emerald ash borer by federal inspectors April 19, according to a release from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Beetles were found infesting green ash across three multi-acre wetland forest stands, with each containing an abundance of symptomatic trees.
Ashland County is the third new county detection of 2022 and marks the 64th county detection since the emerald ash borer was first confirmed in the state in 2008.
It was reported in March that the invasive insects were detected in Bayfield and Lincoln counties. There are eight Wisconsin counties that have not had an emerald ash borer detection.
ADVERTISEMENT
The tree-killing insects were found in Superior’s North End neighborhood in 2013. Their detection led to the city removing roughly 3,000 ash trees from city boulevards and rights of way.
There are no regulatory changes as a result of the newest detection. Emerald ash borer was federally deregulated as of Jan. 14, 2021, and Wisconsin instituted a statewide quarantine in 2018.
For more information about the beetle and where it has been found, visit https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/EAB.aspx .
