Beetle threatens state’s ash trees (Times Leader)

Call it a “David and Goliath” battle in Pennsylvania’s forests. Only this time, David is a diminutive beetle from Asia, and Goliath is the 80-foot ash tree.

The emerald ash borer, a half-inch-long beetle that has killed approximately 50 million ash trees in the Midwest, was detected in western Pennsylvania in June. The finding has led to a quarantine on firewood in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties. Although the infestation is more than 300 miles from Luzerne County, forestry experts say it’s only a matter of time before the destructive beetle spreads throughout the state.

“This thing is running amok and spreading very quickly. They found it in Detroit in 2002 and it’s already in Pennsylvania,” said Vinnie Cotrone, an urban forester with the Penn State Extension Office in West Pittston.   full story