Emerald Ash Borer

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire is an invasive, wood boring beetle native to Asia that feeds on and eventually kills all species of Ash. The EAB was first found in North America in 2002 near Detroit and since has spread to 13 states and two Canadian provinces, killing hundreds of millions of Ash trees in rural and urban settings.

Resources

The following websites and publications provide regularly updated information on the EAB, its identification, spread and management.

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. This website details the history of EAB in NY State; general information on identifying and reporting the EAB; maps of infestation and quarantine areas; information for rural forest owners, homeowners and the wood products industry; links for user groups and educators; an EAB cost calculator; and links to additional resources.

The NY Invasive Species Clearing House at Cornell University offers extensive pages on topics including: EAB biology; identification; hosts; signs and symptoms of EAB infestation; map of EAB spread; control options; resources specific to educators, homeowners, woodlot owners and municipal tree managers; local task force contacts; and how to report an EAB sighting.

Emerald Ash Borer Field Guide, US Forest Service. Print out these 18 pages of photos to help you identify EAB, infestations, Ash trees, and more.

Management

EAB / Control Options, The New York Invasive Species Clearinghouse, Cornell Cooperative Extension Invasive Species Program. This page on the NYISC website covers pesticides licensed for use in New York State.

Contact

Challis Mathes
Horticulture Resource Educator/Team Lead
cjm438@cornell.edu
585-753-2557

Last updated April 19, 2025

Invasive Pests

Identifying Ash Trees

Foliage of white ash, Fraxinus americana L.

How to Identify Ash Trees, Michigan State University Extension. 2-pages with photos on criteria for identifying Ash trees, and other species that resemble Ash.

Ash Tree Replacement from emeraldashborer.info includes suggestions for possible trees to use in landscaping and woodlots, and whether or not you can use wood from your dead ash trees.

National Ash Tree Seed Collection is an effort, sponsored by the USDA, to conserve ash seed for future generations.

What's That Thing?

Those triangular purple objects you may see hanging in trees are traps to check for the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer! Learn about the traps here.

Purple trap for Emerald Ash Borer, photographed in Saugherties, Ulster County, NY
250 pixels wide