The emerald ash borer continues to spread in Kansas, and has made a presence in Franklin, Douglas, Osage and Miami counties in the KOFO listening area. The pest has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees across the nation. The invasive beetle is native to portions of Russia, China, Mongolia, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. It arrived in North America in the 1990s, likely with packing material.
The Kansas Forest Service estimates there are around 56 million green and white ash trees across the state. The trees are important to Kansas’ ecology as they are often found along floodplains and act as protective canopies around wetlands, ponds, and reservoirs, as well as windbreaks along farm fields. The forest service says property owners should learn the signs and symptoms of the emerald ash borer and seek out a certified arborist. The emerald ash borer will eventually wipe out up to 9 billion ash trees across North America.
