Administration Implements Wood Quarantine to Limit Spread of Invasive Emerald Ash Borer

EAB Detected in Massachusetts (Emerald Ash Borer)

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) confirmed last month that the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been detected in the town of Dalton in western Massachusetts. The EAB is a small flying beetle that has the ability to kill trees fast and stay evasive by boring under the trees bark and into its conductive system. Multiple local authorities including the DCR, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the USDAs Forest Services are collaborating to prevent the further spread of the beetles. A quarantine/ regulation would be placed on the following items as an early step in prevention:

Firewood of all hardwood species, Nursery Stock of the genus (Ash), Green Lumber of the genus (Ash), all other Ash components dead and alive. Any product that could serve to be a risk in the further spread of the EAB.

To report suspicious tree damage or insect sighting you can contact the EAB hotline at 1-866-322-4512 or visit the website at www.massnrc.org/pest