An invasive insect that could threaten hundreds of thousands of ash trees in Colorado has officially arrived in the state, the state Department of Agriculture confirmed Friday.
The emerald ash borer, a green metallic-colored beetle from Asia that was responsible for immense damage in forests throughout the Midwest and East Coast, was located in Boulder County on Monday, agriculture officials said.
"It is one of the most destructive, invasive species the U.S. has faced," said John Kaltenbach, pest survey coordinator for the agriculture department.
The emerald ash borer is almost 100 percent fatal to ash trees, Kaltenbach said.
"It really is bad," he said.
Ash trees are plentiful in the Denver metro area due to the shade they provide, ability to grow quickly and the fact that they withstand all of Colorado's weather changes, Kaltenbach said.
Earlier this month, the city of Denver slowed an effort started in 2006 to plant 1 million trees throughout the metro region by 2025, due to lack of funding and concerns over the emerald ash borer.
"Once a tree is infected, it is almost impossible to stop it," said Scott Gilmore, deputy manager of Denver Parks and Recreation.
The borer has caused more than $10 billion to be spent in 25 states for the removal, treatment and replacement of more than 17 million ash trees. In Ohio alone, the beetle has caused an estimated $3 billion in property value losses and ecological services.
In an effort to be proactive to the possible looming situation, the city has diversified tree species planted in the same area, Gilmore said.
The emerald ash borer "is not a flash-in-the-pan, here-and-gone" problem, Gilmore said.
"It will have a huge impact on our urban forest," he said.
Denver forestry staff will meet in the next few days to discuss the confirmed presence of the borer, including what steps can and need to be taken, said Jeff Green, spokesman for Denver Parks.
The agriculture department said it will take steps to attempt to halt any spread of the beetle. The hope now is to spread the word, so communities are on the lookout for any presence of the beetle, Kaltenbach said.
Ryan Parker: 303-954-2409, firstname.lastname@example.org or twitter.com/ryanparkerdp
Emerald ash borer
Infestation signs include:
Who to contact: Agriculture department, 888-248-5535, or CAPS.email@example.com