UACES Facebook Emerald ash borer confirmed in three more counties in Arkansas
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Emerald ash borer confirmed in three more counties in Arkansas

By the U of A System Division of Agriculture

Fast Facts:

    • Three counties added to list of confirmed emerald ash borer sightings
    • Traps laid outside quarantined counties to check for potential expansion

 (314 words)

LITTLE ROCK– The Arkansas State Plant Board has added three more counties to the list of confirmed emerald ash borer sites, said Tamara Walkingstick, associate director-Arkansas Forest Resources Center.

The emerald ash borer is an invasive insect that feeds on and eventually kills ash trees that are infested. 

1439005-SMPT
Emerald Ash Borer. (Image courtesy Taylor Scarr, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Bugwood.org) CREDIT MANDATORY.

“Calhoun, Union, and Bradley counties join the list of sites confirmed last year in Clark, Columbia, Dallas, Hot Spring, Nevada and Ouachita counties,” she said.

A 25-county ash quarantine area was established in September 2014 by the state Plant Board. The area already included Calhoun, Union, and Bradley counties and the quarantine, to date, has not changed, according to the state Plant Board.

Traps have been placed outside the quarantined counties to monitor possible spread outside those boundaries and will yield results later this summer.

Landowners who spot the ash borers or see a tree with symptoms of infestation should contact the Arkansas State Plant Board at 501-225-1598 or email eab@aspb.ar.gov.

Homeowners should remember that the ash borer primarily attacks ash trees and Arkansas is home to five species: Carolina, Green, Blue, White, and Pumpkin ash. EAB has also attacked  fringe trees in Ohio.  

Find resources for EAB identification and details at the Arkansas State Plant Board, Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and Arkansas Forestry Commission sites, via the following links:

    • Arkansas Ash Quarantine Map:
      http://plantboard.arkansas.gov/PlantIndustry/Documents/EAB%20Quarantine%20area.jpg
    • Ash Quarantine and Regulations:
      http://plantboard.arkansas.gov/PlantIndustry/Documents/EAB%20Emergency%20Quarantine.pdf
    • EAB Identification, Symptoms, Treatment, and Photos:
      http://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/fsa-7066.pdf
    • EAB Discussion/Presentation:
    • http://www.uaex.uada.edu/interactive-lessons/EAB-Lesson/story.html
    • Ash Tree Identification: http://1.usa.gov/1RiWj5M 

The Cooperative Extension Service and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center are part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact your County Extension office (or other appropriate office) as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.

The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Media Contact: Mary Hightower
Dir. of Communication Services
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2126
mhightower@uada.edu


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