EAB found in Iowa

BURLINGTON, Iowa — A beetle that's killed millions of ash trees around the country has been found in the city of Burlington, hundreds of miles from the first sighting of the invasive insect in Iowa three years ago, officials announced Tuesday.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will issue a quarantine for Des Moines County in the next few weeks. It means a permit will be required to move hardwood firewood, ash logs and wood chips out of the area.

State Entomologist Robin Prusiner said officials are still determining whether the quarantine will be regional to include surrounding counties. She noted that could be contingent on the wood products industry in that part of the state, and whether it can continue to operate in the area.

"We hope in future weeks we will have that quarantine worked out, we will have worked with industry to fully inform everyone and hopefully draw up a good quarantine plan," she said.

It's unclear whether the discovery of the emerald ash borer in a declining residential tree means there are others in the southeast city or in the surrounding counties.

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