After demolishing several surrounding states’ Ash trees, the culprit has finally landed in Iowa.

The Emerald Ash Borer, a metallic-green beetle about half an inch long, kills Ash trees, or the Fraxinus species, by burrowing under the bark and eating away at the growing layers, according to a news release from the Iowa Emerald Ash Borer Team.

The infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer has been confirmed in Allamakee County.

Laura Jesse from ISU Plant Pathology said that if the infestation spreads across Iowa, it would have more of an impact on urban landscaping than the wildlife.

“It would change what cities would look like; you’ll see streets that were once tree-lined that are now not,” Jesse said.

Jesse said this is one reason why plant diversity is encouraged.

The Emerald Ash Borer is native to eastern Asia, and was first discovered in Michigan in 2002, according to the press release.

The infestation of the Borer has since spread to southeast Minnesota, and into nearby Victory, Wisconsin, according to the news release.

After the discovery of the beetle, the states did set up quarantines, but the bug snuck its way over the Mississippi River.

“More than likely it flew in.  It can fly two to five miles,” said Mark Shour.

Shour, extension program specialist for ISU Department of Entomology, has been publishing articles about the Emerald Ash Borer since 2009.

He said the state doesn’t definitively know how the Borer crossed state lines, but flight is the best guess.

Shour said the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will quarantine wood and nursery stock from Allamakee County first.

He said if the whole state were to be quarantined, Ash wood could still move anywhere inside the state borders and make the situation worse. A quarantine of wood can affect the economy of a county quite distinctly, especially in heavily wooded counties such as Allamakee and Clayton, Shour said.

He said there is a saw mill and a wood processing plant in Allamakee County that are working with both the United States Department of Agriculture and the Iowa Department of Agriculture. The companies are taking off the bark of Ash wood and are heat treating it in order to make sure it is safe.

There are some preventative measures that Iowa can still take to prevent the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, State Entomologist, Department of Natural Resources, Forestry Bureau, ISU Extension and the United States Department of Agriculture have developed the Iowa Emerald Ash Borer Readiness Plan.

The plan takes steps in order to reduce the risk of infestation and creates an ongoing monitoring program to contain and manage the Emerald Ash Borer population.

Now that the Borer has moved into Iowa, the Emerald Ash Borer Team members are planting 1,800 purple traps in high-risk areas including a 1.5 mile trail along the Mississippi River, according to the news release.

“The best thing the public can do is buy their firewood when they get to the campsite,” Shour said.

If you go camping out of state, be sure to leave your firewood there.  Also don’t take any firewood from Iowa out of state.

Shour said the fine for going against the quarantine can range from $100 – $1,000, and that “buying a $5 bundle of firewood is much cheaper.”

There are some precautions that can be taken if you have an Ash tree at home.

There isn’t a need to be treating Ash trees right now, Jesse said.

Jesse said if you have an Ash tree, make sure you’re evaluating its health, but insecticide isn’t needed unless the infestation gets closer to central Iowa.

If you suspect a tree is infested, call ISU Extension and someone will evaluate the tree.

Jesse listed several ways to tell if your tree has been infected, including woodpecker holes and characteristically-shaped larva exit holes. The only way to tell if a tree has been infected is to wait until a branch falls down and peel back the bark.