It’s shimmering blue-green, about the size of a fingernail and intent on making a (deadly) home in every ash tree it finds — and it has spread to another Colorado city.
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Colorado Springs officials announced this week that the emerald ash borer has been confirmed within city limits, a “significant milestone” city leaders were already preparing to tackle.
The emerald ash borer is an invasive beetle that lays its eggs in the bark crevices of ash trees, and the larvae burrow into the wood to feed, damaging the trees. Emerald ash borers have killed millions of North American ash trees since the insect was first identified in the 1990s.
“While this confirmation is not unexpected, it is an important reminder that protecting our community’s tree canopy will require a coordinated effort,” City Forester Matthew Puckett said in a statement.
The bug was first found in Colorado in 2003 and has since spread to cities across metro Denver and Fort Collins. According to Colorado State University’s detection map, Colorado Springs is the farthest south the insect has been detected on the Front Range.
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City officials are launching a public awareness campaign to help residents learn about the emerald ash borer, including how to identify ash trees, recognize infestation and take steps to protect trees.
About 20% of the trees in Colorado Springs are ash trees, and left untreated the borer could kill every ash tree within 15 years, city officials said.
City crews will monitor trees on public property, but property owners are responsible for trees on private property, officials said in a news release.
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