NDA Announces New EAB Finds, Rescinds State EAB Quarantine

Japanese Beetle adult feeding on lead.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) recently confirmed that emerald ash borer (EAB) had been found infesting ash trees in Hall County, Nebraska. EAB was first found in Nebraska in June 2016, in Douglas county, and most recently was discovered in Buffalo and Washington counties.

Due to the confirmations of EAB in several new counties in Nebraska in 2020, covering a wide geographic area, NDA has determined that regulatory enforcement of a state quarantine is no longer warranted, and will rescind the Nebraska EAB quarantine effective immediately.

The USDA maintains the federal EAB quarantine, and any person considering interstate movement of ash nursery stock, ash material, or any hardwood firewood or hardwood mulch is encouraged to contact NDA to determine certification requirements.

NDA will continue to work with the USDA and other partners to slow the spread of EAB in Nebraska, including monitoring for EAB in non-infested counties and using biocontrol releases as a long-term strategy for managing EAB. Additionally, NDA will continue EAB education and outreach efforts to promote the responsible disposable of ash materials and the “Don’t Move Firewood” campaign.

The Nebraska EAB Working Group, which includes NDA, the USDA, Nebraska Game and Parks and the Nebraska Forest Services, offers the following suggestions to help prevent the human-assisted spread of the insect:

• Since EAB can easily be moved in firewood, always use locally-sourced firewood and burn it in the same county where you purchased it.

• Consider treating healthy, high-value ash tress located within a 15-mile radius of a known infestation. Treatment will need to be continually reapplied and will only prolong the tree’s life, not save it. Trees that are experiencing declining health should be considered for removal.

• If you are in a non-infested county and think you have found an EAB infestation, please report it to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at 402- 471-2351, the Nebraska Forest Service at 402-472-2944 or your local Extension office.

Additional information on EAB can be found on NDA’s website at: nda.nebraska.gov/plant/entomology/eab/. Additional information on EAB and Nebraska-specific recommendations for homeowners and municipalities can be found on the Nebraska Forest Services’ website at nfs.unl.edu/ nebraska-eab.