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Emerald Ash Borer Discovered in Cattaraugus County, NY

In mid-June of 2009, The Emerald Ash Borer was discovered for the first time in NYS in the Town of Randolph, Cattaraugus County. A quarantine has been established within Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties to control the spread of this destructive insect that poses a serious threat to ash trees statewide.

Go directly to Cattaraugus and Chautauqua County quarantine information at the bottom of this page.

Discovery and Confirmation

An adult Emerald Ash Borer sits in the palm of a hand
The Emerald Ash Borer is very small. This adult beetle found
in Randolph sits in a forester's palm.
  • The infestation was initially reported to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets on June 15, 2009, by Rick Hoebeke, an entomologist at Cornell University, after two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service employees recognized damage to some local ash trees just off Exit 16 of State Route 17/I-86.
  • After receiving the report and conducting an initial inspection, an adult beetle from the infested area was submitted with the identification confirmed by the USDA's Systematic Entomology Laboratory at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
  • On June 17, 2009, DEC issued a press release announcing the first confirmation of the Emerald Ash Borer in NYS.
  • On July 24, 2009, DEC issued a press release announcing a quarantine to Prevent Spread of Emerald Ash Borer.
  • July 31, 2009, DEC sent a letter sent to the wood products industry advising them to contact either DAM or APHIS plant protection agent in order to continue handling regulated articles from the EAB quarantine district.

DEC Establishes Incident Command Center In Little Valley

In response to the discovery of the Emerald Ash Borer's presence in Randolph, DEC immediately established an Incident Command Center at DEC's Little Valley sub-office. The command center is serving as the local coordination hub for a multi-agency, collaborative response by state and federal partners to characterize the extent of the infestation and to limit its spread.

Forest Ranger Peter Liebeg points to a mapped grid pattern
Forest Ranger Peter Liebeg gives instructions
on the grid pattern mapped for Emerald Ash
Borer trap deployment surrounding the area
of infestation.

DEC's mobile Incident Command Unit
DEC Division of Law Enforcement's mobile Incident Command
Unit provided additional workspace for field staff.

Field staff hang purple EAB traps in ash trees
During late June and early July, field staff placed
1,191 purple traps in ash trees within the
the Randolph area to help determine the extent
of the Emerald Ash Borer infestation.

Cooperating partner agencies include:

- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
- New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
- New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation
- New York State Department of Transportation
- New York State Emergency Management Office
- USDA Forest Service
- USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- The Seneca Nation

Steps Taken to Address Infestation

  • Together, the partner agencies identified above conducted field investigations to determine the age and extent of the current Emerald Ash Borer infestation found in Randolph. To date, that investigation has confirmed the insect's presence in a 10 acre area in the Town of Randolph, Cattaraugus County, New York.
  • Aging of the infestation is in progress, and is currently estimated at five to seven years.
  • 39 infested trees have been cut and chipped.
  • Approximately 1,191 Emerald Ash Borer traps have been placed within a 7 mile radius of the initial discovery site. The purple traps are sticky and contain a chemical lure that attracts adult Emerald Ash Borers.
  • A visual survey within the 7 mile radius area for infested trees has been completed, and no additional infested trees were found. Information from this survey will determine the extent of the infestation.
  • A private forestry firm called Forecon, Inc. has been hired to inspect and remove the purple traps. All traps are expected to be inspected and removed by September 7.
  • 59 ash trees observed within the 7 mile radius showed signs of decline and required closer inspection. Those trees were labeled as suspect trees. To date, 41 of those trees have been inspected with the use of bucket trucks and showed no evidence of EAB. The remaining 18 trees will be inspected when landowner permission has been secured.
  • The Regulatory Inspection team has also inspected 55 logging sites, lumber mills, campsites and firewood producers.
  • In cooperation with Cornell Cooperative Extension, DEC held a public meeting on July 14th at the Randolph Fire Hall to inform area residents on activities taken to address the Emerald Ash Borer infestation. Staff from DEC and Cornell University gave a presentation that covered Emerald Ash Borer biology, insect identification, tips for landowners tips, methods for controlling the further spread of the insect, and status of the multi-agency response effort in Randolph.
  • NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets and DEC are now working with firewood producers, loggers and sawmills to assure compliance with the quarantine in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties. Road checks by law enforcement officials have begun to monitor ash and firewood movement.
a handful of ash tree chips
Infested trees were chipped to a specified size
to destroy inhabiting Emerald Ash Borer larvae.

crew working with a chipper
Field crews work to cut and chip identified
infested ash trees in Randolph

Quarantine and Next Steps

  • Monitoring of the traps and suspect trees will begin in mid August. Information from this survey will help determine the the next steps of the continued response strategy.
  • The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) are enacting a quarantine encompassing Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties that will restrict the movement of ash trees, ash products and firewood from all wood species in order to limit the potential introduction of EAB to other areas of the state. Specifics are described in the DEC quarantine order (PDF, 57 KB).
  • The state's quarantine order will require restrictions on the intrastate movement of certain "regulated articles" - for instance, ash trees, certain wood products, and the Emerald Ash Borer. The order specifically defines regulated articles as:
    • Entire ash trees of any size, inclusive of nursery stock.
    • Any part of ash trees, including leaves, bark, stumps, limbs, branches, and roots.
    • Ash lumber or ash logs of any length.
    • Any item made from or containing ash wood.
    • Any article, product or means of conveyance determined by APHIS, NYSDAM or the Department to present a risk of spreading the EAB infestation.
    • Firewood from any tree species.
    • Wood chips and bark mulch from any tree species, larger than 1 inch in two dimensions, whether composted or uncomposted.
  • New York's order prohibits the movement of regulated articles within and beyond Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties without certification or compliance agreements issued by DAM or APHIS. The state order also restricts the movement of the regulated wood products into or through the quarantine district by requiring several provisions including, but not limited to documentation listing the origin and destination of shipments, and prohibiting transporters from unnecessarily stopping while traveling through the quarantine district.
  • See other quarantines and regulations relating to EAB.
  • A press release was issued by DEC on July 24, 2009 announcing the quarantine and summarizing its main stipulations and objectives.