ASHLAND, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials say an insect that's killed millions of ash trees in the U.S. has been found in Eugene T. Mahoney State Park in eastern Nebraska.
Staff with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture found the emerald ash borer in a baited trap at the park's Lakeside Campground on June 6. A state entomologist confirmed the finding.
Infected trees usually lose leaves at the top of the canopy and the die-off spreads downward. The trees usually die within four years.
The insects have killed tens of millions of ash trees. They are native to Asia and were first reported in the U.S. in Michigan in 2002. The insects were first detected in Nebraska in Omaha and Greenwood in June 2016.
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