Colorado Department Of Agriculture Issues Emergency Quarantine Of Ash Trees

As the proud owner of a struggling ash tree, this is not welcome news to me. The Colorado Department of Agriculture has issued an emergency quarantine in the Boulder County for ash trees because of the Emerald Ash Borer beetle being discovered in late September.

From the Colorado Department of Agriculture:

[Emergency Quarantine Issued to Protect Colorado Ash Trees: The Colorado Department of Agriculture has established an emergency quarantine in the Boulder County area related to the recent discovery of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). The quarantine is effective immediately.

“The Emerald Ash Borer is a highly destructive pest to ash trees. In other states, it has caused significant economic impact to property owners and the nursery and landscaping industries. The quarantine is vital to limiting further infestation,” said CDA’s Plant Inspection Division Director, Mitch Yergert.

The emergency quarantine prohibits the movement of all untreated plants and plant parts of the genus Fraxinus out of the quarantined area. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Logs and green lumber
• Nursery stock, scion wood, and bud wood
• Chips and mulch, either composted or uncomposted
• Stumps, roots and branches
• Firewood of any non-coniferous (hardwood) species

The following are designated as Quarantined Areas. A map of the quarantined area can be found at www.eabcolorado.com.

• Boulder County, Colorado (unincorporated county and all cities and towns within the county)
• The entire town of Erie, Colorado
• The area extending East from Boulder County with a Southern boundary of and including Highway 7, a Northern boundary of and including Highway 52 and an Eastern boundary of and including Weld County Road 7
• Highway 93 extending South from the Boulder County line to the entrance of Republic Landfill, including the entire landfill property, and including the entire property at 11218 Highway 93 on which the business of the Singing Saw Woodworks is operated
• The 15 acre, fenced, Community Sort Yard located at 8200 Highway 7 in Allenspark CO on the Boulder/Larimer County line

Quarantined items may be transported within the quarantined area but may not be moved outside its borders without specific authorization from the Commissioner of Agriculture or the United States Department of Agriculture. Any person violating this quarantine is subject to civil penalties up to $1000 per violation. The full text of the quarantine, including additional restrictions, can be found at www.EABcolorado.com.

Residents can dispose of ash plant material at landfills within the designated quarantine area.]

Apparently they found a suspect tree in Boulder back on September 23rd and samples of the bugs found in the tree were sent to the United States Department of Agriculture and identified as Emerald Ash Borers. The CDA is expanding their efforts to detect and destroy the borers, which can decimate all kinds of ash trees.

"Emerald Ash Borers are an invasive insect that is responsible for the death or decline of tens of millions of ash trees in 21 states. It is a small, green metallic beetle first detected in North America in 2002 in southeastern Michigan. The emerald ash borer attacks only ash trees and all ash species – including green, white, black and blue – are at risk. Signs of emerald ash borer infestation include a general decline in the appearance of the tree, thinning of upper branches and twigs, loss of leaves, and serpentine tunnels produced by EAB larvae under the bark. Woodpeckers may often be observed removing the bark of infested trees to access the larvae."

 

If you think you have EAB in your ash trees, or if you have any questions or concerns, or would like additional information, contact the Colorado Department of Agriculture at 888-248-5535 or email CAPS.program@state.co.us.

You can get more info on how to spot EAB activity in your ash trees you can get more info from their entire press release.

[Colorado Department of Agriculture Press Release]