LEON — State agricultural officials say an insect that’s killed millions of ash trees has been found in yet another Iowa county, bringing the total to 53.
Officials said in a news release Thursday that the emerald ash borer has been confirmed in southern Iowa’s Decatur County.
Infected trees usually lose leaves at the top of the canopy and the die-off spreads downward. The trees usually die within four years.
The insects have killed tens of millions of ash trees and have been confirmed in 30 states. They are native to Asia and were first reported in the U.S. in Michigan in 2002. The insects were first detected in Iowa in 2010.