• About the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)
• Report a Sighting of EAB
• EAB Forum for Natural Resource Professionals and Policy Makers
• Informational Links
• Alerts and Press Releases

EAB Forum for Natural Resource Professionals and Policy Makers

Click here for more information and registration.

The conference will be held at the Maritime Institute (classroom 2, lower level of building 3) in Linthicum Heights, MD. Click here for directions.

About the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an exotic insect from Asia that feeds on and kills ash trees in one to three years after infestation. The presence of the emerald ash borer typically goes undetected until the trees show symptoms of being infested - usually the upper third of a tree will thin and then die back. This is usually followed by a large number of shoots or branches arising below the dead portions of the trunk. Other symptoms of infestation include: D-shaped exit holes in the bark where adults emerge, vertical splits in the bark, and distinct serpentine-shaped tunnels beneath the bark in the cambium, where larvae effectively stop food and water movement in the tree and starve it to death.

Maryland officials confirmed the presence of the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) in ash trees located in the Clinton/Brandywine area of southern Prince George's County. The effected trees were discovered during survey and eradication efforts began after the detection of the insect in Maryland in 2003, when a Michigan nurseryman shipped infested trees into a Prince George's County nursery. "While we are disappointed to find the emerald ash borer after nearly three years of no detections, we are pleased that our surveillance efforts have proven to be effective and that we found the insect before it could spread further," said Agriculture Secretary Lewis R. Riley. "Together with our federal, state, and local nursery partners, we are beginning aggressive measures to control and eradicate this destructive pest."

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) issued a quarantine order (#06-01) that prohibits anyone from moving ash trees or any hardwood firewood into or out of Prince Georges' County.

Report a Sighting of EAB

If you see an Emerald Ash Borer or evidence of one in Maryland, please call the Maryland Department of Agriculture at 410-841-5920. You may also submit an electronic report on the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension's Home and Garden Information Center's web site at http://www.hgic.umd.edu/content/emeraldAshBorer_form.cfm.