Beetle Discovered in Central Ohio

A beetle that killed millions of trees in Michigan and spread to northwest Ohio was recently found in Columbus.

Federal officials have confirmed that the emerald ash borer was found in a cluster of trees near a northeast Columbus auto repair shop. The beetle has infested or destroyed about 6 million ash trees in Michigan and was found this year in several locations in northwest Ohio.

The Columbus infestation was discovered after U.S. Agriculture Department investigators traced a shipment of ash trees from a Michigan nursery to a landscaping company there. The trees were sold in 2001, before Ohio banned bringing ash trees into the state from Michigan.

Tom Harrison, chief of the Ohio Department of Agriculture's plant-pest section, says it’s too early to tell if the Columbus infestation will spread.

Source: Associated Press