LARIMER COUNTY — Another case of emerald ash borer has been confirmed near Berthoud in Larimer County, according to the Colorado State Forest Service.
Officials said this is the first case of EAB in Larimer County and the third confirmation of EAB outside of a quarantine placed in less than two months.
The first case of EAB outside of the quarantine was in Broomfield in August and the second case in Westminister was just last month.
CSFS said they do not know how the beetle arrived in Larimer County.
EAB is native to Asia and kills the trees by laying its eggs within the bark, after which the larvae feed on the tree. Trees can die within two to four years of becoming infested, officials say.
The EAB is an invasive and destructive beetle that only attacks ash trees, which make up 15% of Colorado's trees statewide.
CSFS said that trees infested by EAB typically die within two to four years.
The quarantine was set by the state Department of Agriculture in 2013 when EAB was first discovered in Boulder, where there is an estimated 98,000 ash trees. It includes Boulder, Gunbarrel, Longmont , Lafayette, Lyons and Superior
The quarantine is scheduled to be repealed this winter as officials expect the pests to spread, and want to allow communities to use other options for disposing of trees and management.
For more information on EAB, click here .
