QUAMBA, Minn. — Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) officials say an emergency quarantine is now in effect in Kanabec County after emerald ash borer (EAB) was discovered, the first time the invasive pest has been detected in that county.
Of 87 total counties in the state, there are now 47 counties with the tree-killing insect.
State ag officials say emerald ash borer surveys were conducted in 156 communities this past fall and winter.
On Thursday, the MDA confirmed "infestations were found near the town of Quamba along Highway 23," according to the news release.
Because this is the first time emerald ash borer has been identified in Kanabec County, Minnesota Department of Agriculture officials are enacting an emergency quarantine that limits the movement of firewood and ash material out of the county in hopes of preventing further spreading of the destructive pest.
New EAB infestations were also discovered near Hackensack in Cass County and Cambridge in Isanti County.
EAB was previously discovered in Cass County last year and in 2022 it was found in Isanti County.
The MDA will quarantine all of Isanti County and quarantine the southern two-thirds of Cass County.
"The northern border of the quarantine will now extend from the western county line along Highway 34 to Walker, Highway 200 to the southern exterior border of Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, north to Highway 200, and east to the county border," according to a news release sent out Thursday.
The emerald ash borer was first detected in Minnesota back in 2009. The insect larvae kill ash trees by burrowing under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the trunk.
MDA officials say trees with the invasive pest infestation show signs such as wood splitting because of the larvae burrowing under the bark. The tunneling also creates an S-shaped mark under the bark's surface.
Another sign is that woodpeckers like to feed on the larvae and woodpecker holes may indicate the presence of emerald ash borer.
The public and tree care professionals who work in Kanabec county are invited to attend a virtual informational meeting on January 25 from 10 to 11 a.m.
MDA officials will give a brief presentation followed by a question-and-answer session.
To register for the meeting, go to the MDA website.
