With spring making its way into our region, so is an invasive species known as Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).  The EAB is a serious invasive tree pest that kills ash trees. 

According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), millions of ash trees have already been killed across the midwest, eastern United States, and Canada. And while Minnesota has the highest volume of ash trees in the U.S., a quarantine has been placed to help slow the spread of EAB.

Members with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture held a workshop in Duluth’s Central Park Tuesday to show us firsthand the amount of damage the invasive species can have on local trees. 

“Identify if you have ash on your property, if you do, come up with a plan on how you’d like to deal with that. So either will be planning for the eventual removal or plan to have it treated with insecticides,” said Jonathan Osthus with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

EAB is an invasive insect originating from northeast Asia. 

Experts believe it first arrived in North America through a lumber shipment to the Detroit region sometime in the 1990s.

For more information on EAB visit the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

To see the original report and read related stories, follow this link to the KBJR-TV website. https://www.kbjr6.com/2022/03/22/mn-dept-ag-high-alert-emerald-ash-borer-minnesota/