By Scout Nelson
The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) has confirmed the presence of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Watertown, South Dakota. To help stop the spread of this invasive insect, the state has expanded its plant pest quarantine to include Codington County.
The updated quarantine now covers Brookings, Grant, Minnehaha, Lincoln, Turner, Union, and Codington counties. Emerald ash borer has been identified in 14 South Dakota communities, including Sioux Falls, Brookings, and now Watertown.
The quarantine is active year-round and is meant to slow the movement of the pest. It restricts the transport of firewood and ash materials outside the quarantined area. This includes all hardwood firewood, whether used privately or commercially. Ash wood that is infested before being cut can still hold live EAB larvae. In fact, a single piece of firewood may release several adult beetles in the same summer.
To protect the state further, DANR has also created an external embargo. It bans untreated firewood from entering South Dakota from any state east of its border or from counties where EAB is already known to exist.
EAB is a beetle that feeds under the bark of ash trees, damaging and eventually killing them. It was first found in the U.S. in 2002 and reached South Dakota in 2018.
Property owners within a 15-mile area around Watertown are advised to act now. Treating trees early in the season can kill young larvae before they cause damage. Residents should contact professional applicators to protect healthy ash trees.
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Categories: South Dakota, Business, Crops, Rural Lifestyle