A destructive beetle that has already killed millions of ash trees across the country has now been confirmed in two more Minnesota counties, pushing the statewide total to 62 of the state's 87 counties. State officials say the insect was found at a campground near Lake Benton in Lincoln County and at a yard waste site in the city of Jasper in Pipestone County, marking the pest's first confirmed appearance in either county.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture said a property manager in Lincoln County discovered emerald ash borer at the campground on the northeast side of Lake Benton, while a Pipestone County resident noticed an infested ash tree at Jasper's yard waste site, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul has also covered the expanding infestation, and Fox 9 noted that the pest is now present in more than 70 percent of Minnesota's counties.
How the Beetle Kills and Spreads
Emerald ash borer larvae kill trees by tunneling beneath the bark and feeding on the tissue that carries nutrients up and down the trunk, according to the state agriculture agency's account. Infested ash trees eventually die, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. On its own, the beetle typically creeps only about a half-mile to a mile a year from an infested site, but the agency notes it can jump hundreds of miles when people unknowingly move it in firewood, wood products or nursery stock, per the University of Minnesota Extension.
People can unknowingly spread the beetle by moving firewood. The department is now accepting public comments on the proposed formal quarantines for Lincoln and Pipestone counties through November 6, with a recommendation to adopt the rules on November 9, according to the same agency release.
A Statewide Spread With No Sign of Slowing
The two new counties add to a pattern of spread across the state. Emerald ash borer continues to expand its presence in Minnesota, with Lincoln and Pipestone among the latest counties to report detections.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture's latest release puts the statewide figure at 62 counties following the Lincoln and Pipestone confirmations. Emerald ash borer continues to spread across Minnesota.
