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Minnesota reports emerald ash borer in Jackson County and Silver Bay; MDA issues emergency quarantine
Summary
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture announced new emerald ash borer finds in Jackson County (city of Jackson) and Silver Bay (Lake County) and said an emergency quarantine is in effect for those counties, urging local reporting and quarantine-compliant handling of ash materials.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture announced new detections of the invasive emerald ash borer in Jackson County and Lake County and said it has placed those counties under an emergency quarantine.
Jonathan Ostes, the MDA’s emerald ash borer technical assistance coordinator, said a county employee in Jackson found an adult beetle and a DNR forester located several infested boulevard trees in Silver Bay. "This meeting is being held due to the recent detection of emerald ash borer in Jackson County for the first time in the city of Jackson and also for the new find in Lake County, in the town of Silver Bay," Ostes said.
MDA’s EAB status map, which Ostes said is updated nightly, identifies counties with confirmed infestations and shows 'generally infested areas' defined by a two-mile buffer around confirmed trees. Ostes said observed spread in other parts of the state has been at least 1–2 miles per year and that buffers start at two miles and expand as more findings occur.
The emergency quarantine limits the movement of regulated articles — defined by MDA as all ash material, any EAB life stage, mulch and all hardwood firewood (firewood is any cut wood ≤4 feet) — out of the quarantined counties without an MDA compliance agreement or certified treatment. Ostes directed detailed regulatory questions to Kimberly, head of MDA’s regulatory department, and advised residents to check the department’s map before transporting wood or reporting sightings.
Ostes said the Silver Bay detection is likely to have a large local impact because many boulevard and street trees there are ash, and he urged communities to begin planning for management. "If you're within a generally infested area, there's a high probability your ash trees are already being impacted," he said.
Next steps: MDA asked residents and municipal staff to document suspected infestations with photos and precise location information and to submit reports via MDA’s report-a-pest options or the EDDMaps app. The agency said more findings will likely appear as survey and reporting continue.
