Emerald ash borer confirmed in Faribault County for first time

BLUE EARTH, Minn. -- Emerald ash borer has been confirmed in Faribault County for the first time, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. 

The MDA says its staff discovered an infestation of the invasive pest at a rest area off of westbound Interstate 90 near Blue Earth, Minnesota. A sample was later tested and confirmed as EAB. 

Since it's the first time EAB has been confirmed in the area, the MDA is enacting an emergency quarantine of the county – limiting the movement of firewood and ash material. 

EAB was first discovered in Minnesota in 2009. 

EAB larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under their bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves essential nutrients to all the parts of the tree. Minnesota is especially vulnerable to EAB since it has more than one billion ash trees, the most of any state. 

You can check the status of EAB in Minnesota by visiting the MDA's EDA Status map.