Emerald Ash Borer

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture announced that the emerald ash borer (EAB) has been confirmed in Omaha, making Nebraska the 27th state to confirm its presence.

EAB is an invasive beetle that attacks and kills all species of ash trees. A quarantine has been issued to help prevent the spread of the pest.

The Nebraska EAB working groups offers the following suggestions to help prevent the human-assisted spread of the pest:

• Use locally sourced firewood, burning it in the same county where you purchased it. Firewood is a transportation vessel for the pest.

• Only high value ash tress located within 15 miles of a known infestation should be considered for treatment. Trees that are experiencing declining health should be considered for removal.

• If you feel you have located an EAB infestation, please report it to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at (402) 471-2351, the Nebraska Forest Service at (402) 472-2944 or your local USDA office at (402) 434-2345.

Please reference the following sources for further information:

NEBRASKA DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE (http://www.nda.nebraska.gov/plant/entomology/eab/)

NEBRASKA FOREST SERVICE (http://nfs.unl.edu/nebraska-eab)

Bellevue preparing for Emerald Ash Borer