Emerald Ash borer spreads in Boulder

Photo: Adult Emerald Ash Borer on a pennyThe Colorado Department of Agriculture has found more evidence that the Emerald Ash Borer has spread in Boulder.

City foresters found the larvae in five areas last fall, but new searches have shown the beetle has spread to three more.

Laura Pottorff, an agriculture program manager with the Department of Agriculture, expects to see more infestation.

"If you are within 5 miles of a known detection, you should begin to consider those options for management: one would be treatment, two would be removal or just waiting to see what happens," Pottorff says.

Pottorff says there’s no law that says someone has to treat or remove an infected tree.

There is, however, a quarantine on all hardwood from Boulder, and violations of that quarantine could result in a $1,000 fine.

No Emerald Ash Borers have been detected in Colorado outside of Boulder. Some 50 million ash trees across the country have been infected.