The emerald ash borer has been confirmed in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture made the announcement on Tuesday, April 23rd after City of Lincoln workers detected EAB galleries while removing a tree inside of city limits. This marks the sixth official sighting in the state – including Omaha, Greenwood, and Fremont. EAB has been found in 35 states and five Canadian provinces.
Nebraska Forest Service Forest Health Specialist Dave Olson says emerald ash borer is very difficult to detect early on in an infestation, since it feeds underneath the bark as a larva and takes time to build populations.
“The first symptoms that homeowners would notice will be a thinning of the canopy from year to year,” Olson said. “This can be followed
by shoots growing low on the trunk, woodpecker damage, and bark splitting. Eventually D shaped exit holes will be visible from ground
level and distinct S shaped galleries will be present if the bark is removed. It is important to remember that EAB can kill a tree
quickly, so it is important to develop a plan for either treatment or removal if the tree is within 15 miles of a confirmed EAB
infestation.”
Since its discovery in 2002, EAB has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in North America. Statewide projections estimate that
Nebraska will spend nearly $1 billion in removal, disposal, and replacement costs. For more on EAB, including treatment options, click here