News

EAB found inwestern Wisconsin

Another infestation of emerald ash borer (EAB) has been found in Wisconsin. This one is on the other side of the state in the community ofVictory along the Mississippi River south of La Crosse. The insect was first found in Ozaukee and Washington Counties on the Lake Michigan side of the state last year.

The Vernon County infestation was confirmed Monday morning; Wisconsin Department of Agricultureofficials have already visited the site and are working to establish the age and extent of the infestation. Because of the close proximity to Iowa and Minnesota, officials from those states will be involved in dealing with this infestation as well.

Federal officials areexpected to approve Wisconsin’s quarantine request for Vernon and Crawford counties within days. Following placement of the quarantine there will be a thorough survey of the area to determine the size of the infestation. Colleagues in Iowa and Minnesota are also considering survey options in theirrespective states.

The adult emerald ash borer is a metallic green insect about one-half inch long and one-eighth inch wide. The adult female deposits eggs on the bark of ash trees. The larvae hatching from the eggs chew their way through the bark, and into the soft layerof wood just beneath. There, they eat their way through the tree’s vascular system, cutting off the flow of water and nutrients in the tree, leading to decline and eventual death of the tree. EAB is native to Asia and is thought to have arrived in the United States in the early 1990s in suburbanDetroit. EAB has also been found in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois, West Virginia, Virginia, Missouri and the Canadian Provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

There are an estimated 765 million ash trees in Wisconsin’s forests and, on average, one infive urban trees is a species of ash.