Researchers from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture are keeping a close eye on Northern Kentucky; they’re looking for the Emerald Ash Borer.
The Emerald Ash Borer is a small green beetle that comes from Asia. The insect is responsible for killing millions of ash trees in states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, and have been moving south into Indiana and Ohio.
More than 3,000 traps have been set in Kentucky, mostly in the northern parts of the state. After checking 200 of them, researchers say they haven’t found any borers.
Senior nursery inspector Carl Harper says they will most likely find borers in Kentucky, but he’s not sure how much damage they can do since ash trees make up only about 8% of the state’s forests.
“Since it’s such a low percentage over all, I don’t know if it’d necessarily, unless it’s in a grove of ash trees or something, people would notice it that way,” says Harper. “But just a tree here and a tree there, I don’t think it would be as noticeable.”
Harper says cities are much more at risk, as ash trees are popular for urban landscaping