Emerald ash borer has been confirmed in Green County for the first time. The county is already under quarantine for EAB because of quarantines in neighboring counties. Officials say it’s a good reminder of the importance of not moving firewood from the county to non-quarantine counties.
A private homeowner in the Town of Decatur notified the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources after seeing woodpecker damage and the telltale serpentine tunneling made by EAB larvae under the tree bark. Woodpeckers tear bark from infected trees as they feed on the larvae.
Samples were collected April 22, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer.
Emerald ash borer is native to China and probably entered the United States on packing material, showing up first in Michigan in 2002. It was first found in Wisconsin in 2008 in Ozaukee County.
