Green ash killed by Emerald Ash Borer. (photo/Wikipedia)
News today that Emerald Ash Borer was discovered in Muscatine brings to 11 the number of counties in Iowa where the destructive beetle has been found.
Find information about previous sightings and what you can do for your trees in these stories: Tenth infestation announced
Read more about the latest discovery from the state Emerald Ash Borer team:
DES MOINES – A larva collected by the Iowa EAB Team from a residential tree in Muscatine has been positively identified as the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) by a federal identifier. A statewide quarantine restricting the movement of hardwood firewood, ash logs, wood chips and ash tree nursery stock out of Iowa into non-quarantined areas of other states was issued on Feb. 4, 2014 and remains in place.
“The Iowa EAB team continues to respond to reports of suspected infestations as we work to monitor its movement and hopefully slow the spread. Iowans are again reminded to not move firewood as that is the quickest way to start a new infestation,” said State Entomologist Robin Pruisner of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
The Iowa EAB Team provides EAB diagnostic assistance to landowners and includes officials from Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and the USDA Forest Service.
The Iowa EAB Team strongly cautions Iowans not to transport firewood across county or state lines, since the movement of firewood throughout Iowa or to other states increases the risk of spreading EAB infestations. Most EAB infestations in the United States have been started by people unknowingly transporting infested firewood, nursery plants or sawmill logs. Besides being transported by vehicle, the adult beetle can also fly short distances of approximately two to five miles.
Please contact Iowa EAB Team members to have suspicious looking trees checked in counties not currently known to be infested. The State of Iowa will continue to track the movement of EAB on a county-by-county basis. Before a county can be officially recognized as infested, proof of a reproducing population is needed and an EAB must be collected and verified by USDA entomologists.
To learn more about EAB and other pests that are threatening Iowa’s tree population, please visit www.IowaTreePests.com<http://www.iowatreepests.com/>. Please contact any of the following members of the Iowa EAB Team for further information:
§ Robin Pruisner, IDALS State Entomologist, 515-725-1470, Robin.Pruisner@IowaAgriculture.gov<mailto:Robin.Pruisner@IowaAgriculture.gov>
§ Paul Tauke, DNR State Forester, 515-242-6898, Paul.Tauke@dnr.iowa.gov<mailto:Paul.Tauke@dnr.iowa.gov>
§ Tivon Feeley, DNR Forest Health Coordinator, 515-281-4915, Tivon.feeley@dnr.iowa.gov<mailto:Tivon.feeley@dnr.iowa.gov>
§ Emma Hanigan, DNR Urban Forest Coordinator, 515-281-5600, emma.hanigan@dnr.iowa.gov<mailto:emma.hanigan@dnr.iowa.gov>
§ Mike Kintner, IDALS, 515-725-1470, Mike.Kintner@IowaAgriculture.gov<mailto:Mike.Kintner@IowaAgriculture.gov>
§ Jesse Randall, ISU Extension Forester, 515-294-1168, Randallj@iastate.edu<mailto:Randallj@iastate.edu>
§ Mark Shour, ISU Extension Entomologist, 515-294-5963, mshour@iastate.edu<mailto:mshour@iastate.edu>
§ Laura Jesse, ISU Extension Entomologist, ISU Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic, 515-294-0581, ljesse@iastate.edu<mailto:ljesse@iastate.edu>
§ Donald Lewis, ISU Extension Entomologist, 515-294-1101, drlewis@iastate.edu<mailto:drlewis@iastate.edu>.
§ Jeff Iles, ISU Extension Horticulturist, 515-294-3718, iles@iastate.edu<mailto:iles@iastate.edu>
§ Les Dennis, Muscatine Parks and Recreation Department, 563-263-0241, ldennis@muscatineiowa.gov<mailto:ldennis@muscatineiowa.gov>
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