There’s a new beetle in town, and it’s put a large chunk of Colorado under an emergency tree quarantine. The state’s department of agriculture said Tuesday that the discovery of the Asian Emerald Ash Borer in Colorado marks the western-most discovery of the insect in North America, and that the pest poses a serious danger to the state’s ash trees.
“This insect … makes all other insects look beneficial,” Longmont City Forester Ken Wicklund told The Denver Post.
The state can impose fines of up to $1,000 for violation of the quarantine, which includes moving firewood out of the line that has been drawn around Boulder County and other areas nearby.
According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the Emerald Ash Borer is responsible for the death and decline of at least 50 million ash trees in 21 states since it was first detected in the U.S. in 2002. Various regulatory agencies, including the USDA, have enforced quarantines across 23 states to try and prevent the insects’ spread through infested trees. The cost of efforts geared toward stopping the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer are already estimated to be above tens of millions of dollars.
The insect gets its name from its iridescent green coloring and the fact that its larvae “bore” into ash tree bark, disrupting the tree’s ability to absorb nutrients and water.
From The Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/13/emerald-ash-borer-boulder_n_4267547.html