Minnesota Department of Agriculture details new emerald ash borer finds, expands quarantines and issues management guidance

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture on a recorded informational webinar outlined recent confirmed detections of emerald ash borer (EAB) across several Minnesota counties, described the state's quarantine rules and urged residents and businesses not to move firewood or unprocessed ash material.

Jonathan (no last name provided), the emerald ash borer technical assistance coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, gave a 40- to 45-minute presentation that covered EAB biology, signs and symptoms, where it has been confirmed in Minnesota, quarantine requirements and management options for individual trees and community tree inventories. "I am recording this, and we will make this presentation available on the Department of Ag's YouTube channel," he said at the start of the session.

The MDA emphasized the public-health-of-the-urban-forest implications of EAB, noting that Minnesota has an especially large ash resource and that mortality can be rapid once the insect establishes locally. The presentation listed recent confirmed finds in Carlton, Meeker, Murray and Otter Tail counties and cited specific reports including a farm near Fulda and the Murray County fairgrounds in Slayton, a site south of Litchfield in Meeker County, trees identified near Deer Creek and near Wadena in Otter Tail County, and multiple locations in Carlton County, including reports near the Fond du Lac tribal area. The agency said these and nearby detections triggered new…