Red Wing, MN (KROC-AM News) - Almost the entire southeast corner of Minnesota is now under an Emerald Ash Borer quarantine.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture today announced the implementation of an emergency EAB quarantine for Goodhue County. The declaration followed confirmation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture of an infestation of the damaging green beetle in Red Wing.

Officials say a tree with heavy woodpecker damage was recently spotted on the Barn Bluff by an employee of the State Agriculture Department. An investigation uncovered the presence of EAB larvae in the tree.

“Our staff led by example and followed the advice we’ve been giving for years which is, it’s important that people go out into their yards, parks, and natural areas and look for signs of EAB,” said Geir Friisoe, Director of MDA’s Plant Protection Division. “The trees are still bare and the weather is warmer, so this is the perfect time to look for woodpecker damage and other signs of an emerald ash borer infestation.”

The only County in the southeastern corner of Minnesota that has yet to see an EAB infestation is Mower County. The first infestation in Olmsted County was discovered near the Rochester Airport in 2014.

 

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