MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A pest that has killed millions of the country’s ash trees is spreading in Vermont and has been detected for the first time in Chittenden County, state officials said Friday.
The emerald ash borer was detected in Richmond. The beetle was first found in Vermont in 2018 and has spread to 10 counties.
It has also been detected in Shaftsbury, which expands the area infested in Bennington County, according to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.
The state has recommended steps to slow the spread in the following communities that are within five miles of the infested areas: Arlington, Bolton, Essex, Glastenbury, Hinesburg, Huntington, Jericho, Richmond, Shaftsbury, Shelburne, South Burlington, Sunderland and Williston.
Infestations naturally spread one to two miles a year but can spread faster and wider if movement of infested material, especially ash firewood and logs, is done without due care, the state said.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.