Emerald ash borer

Emerald ash borer (EAB) is an ash tree destroying insect and it's in Minnesota. EAB has been found in Ramsey County in the St. Anthony neighborhood of St. Paul and the city of Shoreview, in Hennepin County in the Prospect Park East River Road neighborhood of Minneapolis, in Houston County in the Upper River Fish and Wildlife Area and the city of La Crescent, and in Winona County in Great River Bluffs State Park.

Due to the discovery of EAB and to slow its spread, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has quarantined Hennepin, Houston, Ramsey, and Winona counties. Movement of the following items are prohibited out of EAB quarantined counties:

• Firewood from hardwood trees
• Entire ash trees
• Ash limbs and branches
• Ash logs or untreated ash lumber with bark attached
• Uncomposted ash chips and uncomposted ash bark chips greater than 1 inch in two of three dimensions.

What you need to know

EAB kills ash trees, and it does so in great numbers. Already it has killed millions of ash trees in North America . EAB will have a huge effect on Minnesota's landscape and the 998 million ash trees that grow in our cities and forests.

• Recognize the signs and symptoms of an EAB infested tree: heavy woodpecker activity on tree, dying branches in the top canopy, sprouts around the tree base, vertical cracks in the bark, S-shaped tunnels under the bark, and 1/8 inch D-shaped exit holes in the bark.
• If you think your tree is infested with EAB, complete the steps outlined in Step through Guide and refer to the Signs and Symptoms of EAB in Ash Trees slide show for more examples. Also review the reference for recognizing insect galleries in ash trees in Minnesota.
• If your ash tree is showing other signs and symptoms, visit the What's wrong with my ash tree? online diagnostic tool to help identify problems caused by insects, diseases, and nonliving factors.
• To report a possible EAB infestation, contact the Arrest the Pest Hotline at arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us or 888-545-6684.
• Consider insecticide treatments only when your property is within 15 miles of an EAB infestation. More information
• Do not transport firewood, even within Minnesota.