Emerald Ash Borer Detected In Washburn, Taylor Counties

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has detected the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB) for the first time in Washburn and Taylor counties. Burnett is now the only county without a detection since EAB was first discovered in Wisconsin in 2008.

DNR staff members collected larvae samples in the town of Springbrook and the city of Medford. A USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service identifier confirmed these larvae as EAB.

The detections will not result in regulatory changes because EAB was federally deregulated on Jan. 14, 2021, and Wisconsin rescinded its statewide quarantine effective July 1, 2023.

EAB will continue to spread in northern Wisconsin, significantly impacting the state’s ash resource. This is a good time to review the DNR’s updated EAB webpage for information and resources on this invasive species and the EAB Silviculture Guidelines to understand ash management options.

For those looking for treatment options, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s EAB webpage provides information on insecticide treatment for ash shade trees.

The DNR, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension and tribal partners continue to track EAB’s spread. Detection information aids in EAB readiness planning, management and biological control activities.

With 66 new municipal detections already reported in 2024, map updates continue to occur regularly. Visit the Wisconsin EAB Online Detections map to see where EAB has been found in Wisconsin or to report new detections.