Emerald Ash Borer confirmed in NE Arkansas

Emerald Ash Borer confirmed in NE Arkansas

State Plant Board issues warning

LITTLE ROCK – The invasive emerald ash borer, already found in 10 central or southern Arkansas counties, has now been confirmed in the state's northeast – in Randolph County, less than 100 miles from Crittenden County, Scott Bray of the Arkansas State Plant Board said on Tuesday.

“The new confirmation in Randolph County is adjacent to a known infested county in Missouri, indicating that the borer has progressed from Missouri into Randolph County,” said Chandler Barton with the Arkansas Forestry Commission.

In 2014, the emerald ash borer had been confirmed in Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Columbia, Dallas, Hot Spring, Nevada Ouachita, Union, and Saline counties, and the State Plant Board established a 25-county quarantine area in an effort to limit the beetle's expansion within the state.

“An expansion of the quarantine is possible, and will directly depend upon further EAB trap findings and a meeting of the Plant Board,” Bray said.

Quarantined items continue to include firewood of all hardwood species, and the following ash items: nursery stock; green lumber with bark attached; other material living, dead, cut or fallen including logs, pulpwood, stumps, roots, branches, mulch and composted/uncomposted chips (1 inch or greater). Firewood is the only quarantined item that relates to all hardwood; all other quarantined items are relative to ash, only.

The half-inch metallic green ash borer is an invasive beetle from Asia that was first discovered in Michigan in 2002. It is blamed for the deaths of millions of trees and has been found in more than 20 states and Canada.

For further quarantine details, contact the Arkansas State Plant Board at 501225-1598 or email eab@aspb.ar.gov.

By Mary Hightower UofA Division of Agri.