The EAB is a metallic green beetle that bores into ash trees and feeds on tissues under the bark, typically killing the tree in three to five years. Infested trees display thinning crowns, increased woodpecker activity, small D-shaped holes where adult beetles emerge from the trees and sprouts from the tree’s main stem.
The latest EAB discovery was located 17 miles north of Waynesville. Other counties in Western North Carolina with EAB presence confirmed include Swain, Buncombe and Graham. The entire state of North Carolina is currently under an EAB quarantine, prohibiting movement of ash plant parts, the insect itself, ash nursery stock and all hardwood firewood into non-quarantined areas such as South Carolina or central Tennessee.