Quick Facts

  • The emerald ash borer likely arrived in North America on wood packaging materials in the early 1990s.
  • First detected near Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, in 2002, the beetle has spread to more than 30 states and five provinces since then.
  • Populations exist in Winnipeg (Manitoba), Sault Ste. Marie, the Algoma District and Thunder Bay (Ontario); Quebec City (Quebec); Halifax (Nova Scotia); Edmunston and, as of August 2019, Oromocto (New Brunswick).
  • Up to 99% of all ash trees are killed within 8-10 years once the beetle arrives in an area.
  • Adults can fly and spread locally.
  • The moving of infested material causes long distance spread, as does adult beetles hitchhiking on vehicles.