Emerald ash borer continues to spread, reaches 47th county in Minnesota

State officials have confirmed emerald ash borer (EAB) has reached another county as the invasive insect continues to spread.

EAB has now been found in 47 counties in Minnesota after its recent discovery in Kanabec County.

Additionally, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) says EAB was recently found in new parts of Cass and Isanti counties.

Because of the discoveries, MDA has implemented an emergency quarantine in Kanabec and Isanti counties, as well as in the southern two-thirds of Cass County. That quarantine restricts the movement of wood and ash material out of the areas in an effort to limit EAB’s spread.

EAB was first found in Minnesota in 2009. Its larvae kills ash trees by tunneling under bark and feeding on the part of trees that moves nutrients up and down the trunk, MDA says.