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Emerald Ash Borer Found In Minnetonka

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – City officials in Minnetonka say that trees along the southeastern border of the city are infested with emerald ash borer.

The city posted Friday morning on Facebook, saying that two trees were found to be infested with the invasive species, a beetle with larvae that borrow through ash trees, eventually killing them.

emerald ash borer
An emerald ash borer (credit: CBS)

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnetonka is currently within the state's emerald ash borer quarantine boundary.

Additionally, the city is close to the western edge of an infested area that contains most of the Twin Cities metro area. Another infested area is just northwest of Minnetonka, encompassing Long Lake and part of Wayzata.

Emerald ash borer was first discovered in Minnesota in 2009 in St. Paul. It's since spread through the metro and to Duluth and parts of southeastern Minnesota.

According to the DNR, there are an estimated 1 billion ash trees in Minnesota.

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