An official website of the United States government.

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Emerald Ash Borer

Scientific Name

Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, 1888 (ITIS)

Common Name

Emerald ash borer (EAB)

Native To

Eastern Russia, Northern China, Japan, and Korea (McCullough and Usborne 2015)

Date of U.S. Introduction
Means of Introduction

Arrived accidentally in cargo imported from Asia (McCullough and Usborne 2015)

Impact

Ash trees lose most of their canopy within 2 years of infestation and die within 3-4 years (McCullough and Usborne 2015; Poland and McCullough 2006)

Emerald Ash Borer
Image use policy

Emerald Ash Borer, Adult

Credit

David Cappaert

Find more images

Spotlights

  • State Asks Public to Check Trees for Invasive Pests this August

    • Aug 6, 2024
    • Washington Invasive Species Council.

    • Washington state agencies are asking for your help to check your trees for signs and symptoms of invasive insects. Damaging invasive insect species, such as spotted lanternfly, longhorned beetles, and emerald ash borer, are emerging in their adult form. ate summer is often the peak time for these invasive insects to emerge from trees in their adult stage. If you see or suspect you see an invasive insect, report a sighting.

  • The Future of Ash Trees

    • Feb 28, 2024
    • USDA. Forest Service.

    • How can an insect that is smaller than a penny cause so much ecological, economic, and cultural devastation? The emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle native to Asia, is one of the most destructive invasive species in North America. These tiny pests killed tens of millions of ash trees in the northeast – and continue to this day.

      In Maine, a coalition of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, tribal members, state and federal foresters, conservation groups, and local communities have been working for the past twenty years to prepare for the onset of emerald ash borer in northeastern forests. The group, called the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik, is focused on identifying research-informed strategies to protect the future of ash trees.

  • Fighting Invasive Emerald Ash Borers with Woodpeckers and Citizen Scientists

    • May 24, 2022
    • USDA. Forest Service.

    • Invasive non-native insects have been called the "wildfires of the East," given the damage they cause to trees. One pest, the emerald ash borer, has killed hundreds of millions of rural and urban ash trees. To help arborists and city planners track and treat potential outbreaks, U.S. Forest Service scientists seek efficient monitoring techniques.

  • Don't Move Firewood

    • Nature Conservancy.

    • The Don’t Move Firewood campaign is an outreach partnership managed by The Nature Conservancy. The overarching goal of the campaign is to protect trees and forests all across North America from invasive insects and diseases that can travel in or on contaminated firewood. The central tenet of the Don’t Move Firewood campaign is that everyone has a role to play in slowing the spread of invasive tree killing insects and diseases, through making better informed firewood choices. For more information on how you can do your part, please see Frequently Asked Questions.

      • Firewood Month Toolkit -- During Firewood Month (October), reduce firewood movement to slow the spread of forest pests and diseases via the firewood pathway.
      • Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Weed Toolkit -- During Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (May 19-26, 2024) everyone is encouraged to take a few minutes to learn about the signs and symptoms of emerald ash borer infestation on ash trees so that the infestations can be better managed by local tree professionals and foresters.
  • The Emerald Ash Borer Story Map

    • USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

    • An interactive story map of the USDA’s history of combating the infestation and the continuing efforts to protect ash trees in the U.S.
      See related resource: Data Visualization Tools to explore plant and animal health management data and interactive story maps

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Quarantine

Videos

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Council or Task Force
Partnership
Federal Government
  • Plant Pest and Disease Program: Emerald Ash Borer

    • USDA. APHIS. Plant Protection and Quarantine.

  • Strategies to Manage the Loss of Ash and Elm Trees

    • USDA. FS. Northern Research Station.

    • Ash and elm trees play important roles in the U.S. economy, culture, and environment. In the eastern United States, elm (especially American elm) and ash trees are in trouble because of two threats: the emerald ash borer (an insect that attacks ash) and Dutch elm disease (caused by a fungus that sickens elms). These pests are causing ash and elm trees to die off quickly. Because elm and ash trees serve important ecological roles where they are found, the loss of these trees can lead to profound changes across urban and rural environments.

International Government
State and Local Government
Academic
  • IPM of Midwest Landscapes: Pests of Trees and Shrubs - Emerald Ash Borer [PDF, 123 KB]

    • University of Minnesota.

    • IPM of Midwest Landscapes is available for educating growers, landscapers, managers, and consumers in the principles of IPM and its application to managing the over 150 common insect species in Midwest landscapes.

  • IPM Scouting in Woody Landscape Plants - Emerald Ash Borer

  • Current Pests & Diseases: Emerald Ash Borer

    • Kansas State University. Kansas Forest Service.

  • Emerald Ash Borer

    • Michigan Technological University. Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences. Center for Exotic Species.

  • Emerald Ash Borer in Indiana

    • Purdue University. Extension Entomology (Indiana).

    • Use this website to find out where in Indiana the emerald ash borer (EAB) is located, how to combat this invasive pest, and what you can do to preserve ash trees in Indiana. To report a find of EAB in Indiana, call Indiana DNR toll-free 1-866-NO-EXOTIC.

  • Insects, Pests, and Diseases: Emerald Ash Borer

    • Pennsylvania State University. Cooperative Extension.

  • Kentucky Emerald Ash Borer (EAB): Resources & Updates

    • University of Kentucky. College of Agriculture. Entomology.

    • Officials with the Office of the State Entomologist in the University of Kentucky Entomology Department on May 22, 2009 announced two confirmed occurrences in Kentucky of emerald ash borer, an invasive insect pest of ash trees. These are the first findings of this destructive insect in the state.

  • Nebraska's EAB Resource Center

    • Nebraska Forest Service.

    • The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has confirmed that emerald ash borer (EAB) was discovered during a site inspection in Omaha's Pulaski Park on June 6, 2016. Nebraska becomes the 27th state to confirm the presence of EAB, joining neighboring states of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Colorado.

  • Tree Pests: Emerald Ash Borer

    • University of Missouri Extension.

    • Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) is an exotic, invasive, wood-boring insect that infests and kills native North American ash trees, both in forests and landscape plantings. With EAB now in several areas of the Show-Me State - and its ability to hitchhike on firewood - the probability of it spreading to noninfected areas in the state is high.

Citations