LITTLE ROCK — An invasive beetle known for destroying ash trees has been discovered in two more Arkansas counties.
The Arkansas State Plant Board said Thursday that the emerald ash borer has been discovered in Hempstead and Lafayette counties in southwest Arkansas. The board has established a quarantine in several Arkansas counties that prohibits the movement of ash items, including nursery stock and firewood, in hopes of preventing the spread of the beetle.
The emerald ash borer feeds on and kills ash trees. So far, the insect has been confirmed in Randolph County in northeast Arkansas and in central and southern Arkansas. It's also been confirmed in northeastern Oklahoma in a county bordering northwest Arkansas.