Emerald ash borers recently found in a Graham County trap mark the invasive insect’s first appearance in Western North Carolina since it was first discovered in the United States in 2002. 

The finding triggered quarantine rules for the county: no hardwood firewood can be taken out of the county, nor can plant parts of ash trees. Only firewood treated by an approved method such as kiln heating can taken out of the county.

“This is a devastating pest to ash trees, eventually killing the trees where the insects are found,” said N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. 

The emerald ash borer lays its eggs underneath the bark of ash trees, where the larvae then hatch and create tunnels in the living part of the tree before emerging as adults. Affected ash trees display a loss of leaves, increased woodpecker activity and clumps of shoots emerging from their trunks. The beetles have caused the decline and death of tens of millions of trees across the country. 

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will put purple, triangle-shaped traps out during early August to monitor for the ash borer’s presence in other counties. While Graham is the first WNC county where it’s been found, it is present on the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and in 11 other North Carolina counties down east.