Watford receives grant to control emerald ash borer
By Ashleigh Plemper
Farmer Staff Writer
After Watford City was chosen to receive a $10,000 grant from the North Dakota Forest Service to help eliminate emerald ash borer, green ash trees will be removed from city parks in the upcoming months as a proactive effort to prevent an infestation from the pesky little pests before it’s too late.
While North Dakota doesn’t have any confirmed infestations of the emerald ash borer bug yet, it is joining Minnesota in its efforts to eliminate the chances of the killer tree pest while there’s still time.
“When this hits small communities, the emerald ash borers are taking out all of the trees,” says Robin Arndt, Watford City Parks and Recreation Department supervisor.
While the invasive and destructive species hasn’t made it’s way into North Dakota just yet, Arndt says it’s just a matter of time before it inevitably does.
“It’s in Minnesota, South Dakota and Canada and it’ll be here,” Arndt says.
The emerald ash borer is known to leave a lot of destruction in its wake, as Arndt says that once the invasive species has burrowed its way beneath the layers of a tree, you can kiss that tree goodbye.
“They pretty much cut off the cardiovascular system of a tree,” Arndt says.
By executing the removal process early, Arndt says it will slow the rate of infestation for green ash trees and provide more time to begin planting new trees that are not affected by the emerald ash borer.