DECATUR, IL- Decatur has some new residents and they are anything but welcome. Decatur city leaders say the Emerald Ash Borer has arrived in the city.
The Emerald Ash Borer feeds underneath the bark of Ash trees. Once a tree is infested by the beetle, is only a matter of time for tree begins to die.
The Emerald Ash Borer only attacks Ash trees. The beetle has infested and destroyed them throughout the Midwest and they were discovered in Decatur last month.
Ash trees make up about 10 percent of all the trees in the city, which is about 1,300 trees in all. City leaders say they are not sure how the bug ended up in Decatur, but they are trying to keep the infestation from getting worse.
City leaders say once a tree on city property is found to be infested, it will be removed and not replaced. For someone who has an infested tree on their own property, city leaders say it would be up to them to remove it or chemically treat it to get rid of the Emerald Ash Borer.
The Emerald Ash Borer is native to Asia and experts believe the beetles arrived in the United States on wood packing material shipped from Asia. The bugs can easily spread by the movement of infested firewood and untreated ash lumber.
The Emerald Ash Borer is known to be in Illinois and four other states, as well as in the Canadian province of Ontario. The Ash Borer is not a danger to humans.
