Destructive Tree Pest Reaches New York ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) - A parasite that kills ash trees has arrived in western New York despite efforts to keep it out -- and it threatens massive damage to upstate forests.

The State Department of Environmental Conservation says the Emerald Ash Borer has been found in Cattaraugus County. That's the first time it's been detected in New York State. The borer is a small but destructive beetle that drills into ash trees to lay its eggs and eventually kills the tree.

Greg Frank of Ted Collins Tree and Landscape says its arrival in upstate New York is bad news because the beetle is very hard to stop. New York has more than 900 million ash trees. The DEC says that's about 7-percent of the state's trees, but Frank says ash is a dominant species in upstate forests. He says the percentage in some areas is as high as 40 or 50 percent.

There's a commercial product that can protect the trees, but it works best when injected directly into each one. Frank says cost and labor make that impractical for treating an entire forest. His business stopped planting ash trees about three years ago when the ash borer began infesting other parts of the United States. Frank says that's unfortunate since the ash is a native tree that grows practically anywhere.

The DEC says a couple of U.S. Agriculture Department employees spotted the beetle damage in a tree off the Southern Tier Expressway -- and a Cornell University entomologist confirmed it was the ash borer. The location means the beetle poses a serious threat to Southern Tier forests, and in particular, Allegany State Park.

Carrying untreated firewood from place-to-place is one way the beetle spreads faster. DEC officials are urging campers to buy their firewood locally and burn it all before going home.

The Emerald Ash Borer is one of a string of invasive species that have come into New York in recent years.

© Copyright 2009, WXXI