More Catt County Trees Destroyed by EAB

More trees in the Randolph area are now infested with the Emerald Ash Borer beetle.

In mid-June of last year the New York Department of Environmental Conservation announced that the destructive beetle had infested about 30 trees just south of Interstate 86. Today, DEC said more trees in the same area are infested.

Foresters have detected the insect on private woodlands south of Interstate 86 in an area where trees are already quarantined.

The beetle infests and kills North American ash tree species, including green, white, black and blue ash. So far, it’s spread to 13 states and two Canadian provinces and is responsible destroying more than 70 million trees.

The invasive beetle was first detected in Pennsylvania in the summer of 2007 in Butler County, and subsequently was found in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Indiana, Juniata, Lawrence, Mercer, Mifflin, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Emerald ash borer traps (those purple boxes hanging from trees) can be seen throughout the region as foresters try to track the beetle. Pictured is an emerald ash borer trap hanging in Allegany State Park.