An Adult Emerald Ash Borer
ALBANY – State environmental officials are continuing in the effort to raise awareness about the fight against an invasive species that is threatening trees across the northeast.
The Sixth Annual Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Awareness Week is now underway, running from May 22 – May 28.
State residents and visitors are encouraged to learn as much as possible about the emerald ash borer, how to prevent its spread and the destruction it causes to trees.
The emerald ash borer, first discovered in New York in 2009, is an invasive insect that kills all types of ash trees. Tens of millions of ash trees have been killed in the United States by the emerald ash borer and all of the hundreds of millions of ash trees in New York are at risk. Twenty-four counties in New York currently have infestations.
To help slow the spread of EAB, all citizens are asked not to move firewood and to look for and report the signs of the beetle on ash trees. Citizens should be aware of New York State’s firewood regulations, which restrict the movement of untreated firewood to 50 miles, and EAB quarantines, which prevent the spread of potentially infested materials.
For more information, visit the DEC’s Emerald Ash Borer web page, or call DEC’s toll-free hotline at 1-866-640-0652.
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