Emerald ash borer spreads

Broomfield has confirmed emerald ash borer in the city, even though foresters have tried to prevent its spread.

It is the first confirmed report of the tree-destroying beetle in Colorado outside of a federal quarantine area in Boulder County, according to a news release from the Colorado State Forest Service and Broomfield.

The federal quarantine area was created in 2013 in much of Boulder County to prevent the destructive pest’s spread, the news release said.

About 15% of state’s urban trees are susceptible to the insect’s destructive ways, the news release said. The trees usually die within two to four years of infestation. Broomfield had 2,900 trees that could have been susceptible to the infestations, but the city removed and treated ash trees to prevent the spread. Still, many trees are on private land and remain vulnerable.

The first confirmation of the insect’s presence in Colorado was in September 2013 in Boulder, and since, it has been confirmed in Gunbarrel, Longmont, Lafayette, Lyons and Superior, according to the news release. All of the confirmed reports were in the same quarantined area.

A Broomfield resident near 136th Avenue and Main Street contacted a city forester when noticing a suspicious insect, and experts confirmed the insect was emerald ash borer, the news release stated. It’s unknown whether the insect arrived naturally or through accidental transport by humans, but the insects are capable of spreading a mile per year.

Despite emerald ash borer being found outside the quarantine area, that area is not expected to change for now, officials said. The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service requires symptomatic trees to be found in connection with the insect before changes can be made. Prior to the detection, officials were planning to lift the quarantine in the winter, they said in the news release.