Drew County has been added to confirmed sites of the emerald ash borer-an invasive beetle that feeds on and kills ash trees.
Drew County was already included within the current 33-county quarantine as a buffer county. Surveying for further movement of the pest will be completed by September, when the Arkansas State Plant Board will consider expanding the quarantine, said Adriane Barnes, spokesperson.
A quarantine was established in September of 2014 and expanded in October of 2016 to slow the movement of beetle. The 33-county area included in the quarantine encompasses counties with confirmed beetle sites, as well as buffer counties around those areas. A map with all counties included in the quarantine can be found at www.aad.arkansas.gov/quarantines
Quarantined items (which cannot be transported outside of the quarantine area) include firewood of all hardwood species, and the following ash items: nursery stock; green lumber with bark attached; other material living, dead, cut or fallen including logs, pulpwood, stumps, roots, branches, mulch and composted/uncomposted chips (1 inch or greater). Firewood is the only quarantined item that relates to all hardwood; all other quarantined items are relative to ash, only, Barnes said.
Since the first Arkansas detection in 2014, the emerald ash borer has been confirmed in the following 18 counties: Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Drew, Garland, Hempstead,
Hot Spring, Lafayette, Montgomery, Nevada, Ouachita, Pike, Randolph, Saline, and Union.
The emerald ash borer is a small beetle (1/2 inch in size) that originated in Asia. The first discovery took place in Michigan over a decade ago. Infestation usually kills the ash host within two to five years.
For further quarantine details, call 501-225-1598 or email [email protected].