PROSPECT, CT (WFSB) -
Officials from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced that the Emerald Ash Borer, a destructive beetle, was found in Prospect and Naugatuck.
The beetle is responsible for the destruction of tens of millions of ash trees from the midwest to New York State and south to Tennessee.
This is the first record of this pest in Connecticut, which is added to 15 other states where infestations have been detected, DEEP officials said.
"The detection of the emerald ash borer in Prospect and probably in Naugatuck reaffirms that statewide surveys for this pest were necessary," said Louis A. Magnarelli, director of Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. "We expected to find the beetle in areas of Connecticut across from infestations in Dutchess County, New York; however, the EAB has great flight potential and can travel in infested wood moved by people."
Ash trees make up between four to 15 percent of Connecticut's forests and is a common urban tree, DEEP officials said.
It's unknown how the beetle entered Prospect and Naugatuck, but officials said movement of infested firewood is a high risk activity that can spread the beetle over long distances.
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