Creative Commons, Duane Tate

Emerald ash borer, Creative Commons, USDA

The emerald ash borer has been found in Superior, Wisconsin, across the bridge from Duluth, Minnesota. This ash tree parasite has been slowly making its way north where forest ecologists have long feared it could seriously damage the ash tree populations of northern Minnesota. The DNR has instituted a number of rules regarding transporting fire wood in hopes of staving off the borer. But this new discovery suggests its natural incursion into the area might be the way it gets here.

MPR’s Dan Kraker has a story about how Duluth is working to prevent the ash borer from “crossing the bridge.”