DOF: EAB Is Spreading

The Emerald Ash Borer appears to be gaining a foothold in Oregon.

“This is really a difficult, a really difficult invasive pest to control, even under the best of circumstances.” 

Oregon Department of Forestry’s Lilah Gonen said in the past month, the beetle was found in Yamhill and Marion counties, with confirmation pending on a detection in Clackamas County.  Gonen believes the Yamhill County incident is an extension of the original Forest Grove infestation first discovered in 2022, but the others were a surprise.

“The Marion County infestation, and by association, also the as-yet-unconfirmed Clackamas County infestation, they appear that they might be a complex of possibly a single large infestation along the Marion and Clackamas County border.”

Gonen said the EAB found near Woodburn appear much more mature than the other infestations and may have been growing undetected in that area for a long time.  The bug is primarily spread by the movement of wood products and Oregonians are urged not to haul firewood across county lines.

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