emerald ash borer
A destructive pest is moving westward into Iowa. It was announced today that the emerald ash borer has been discovered in a third Iowa location, this time a tree in the city of Fairfield.
The green beetle from Asia is the cause of widespread ash tree decline and mortality in Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Canada, but has also been detected in Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and states in the east and southeast parts of the U.S. Larva from the beetle feed on the tissue between the bark and sapwood of a tree, disrupting the flow of nutrients and water in trees.
Officials believe the beetle made its way into Iowa through the transport of infested firewood, sawmill logs or nursery plants. Earlier this summer, the ash borer was discovered in Burlington and has also been identified in northeast Iowa in Allamakee County.
By Steve Smith, KMCD, Fairfield