In partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has detected emerald ash borer (EAB) for the first time in Ashland County. This ash tree-killing beetle was found at multiple locations in the city of Ashland on April 6 and confirmed to be EAB by USDA-APHIS on April 19. EAB was found infesting green ash across three multi-acre wetland forest stands, with each containing an abundance of symptomatic trees showing significant woodpecker flecking, epicormic sprouts, and D-shaped exit holes.
Ashland County is the third new county detection of 2022 and marks the 64th county detection since EAB was first confirmed in the state in 2008. There are eight Wisconsin counties that have not had an EAB detection. There are no regulatory changes as a result of this detection. EAB was federally deregulated as of January 14, 2021, and Wisconsin instituted a statewide quarantine in 2018.
For more information about EAB and where it has been found, visit https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/EAB.aspx.
