They're asking for help from homeowners out there. You all are probably going to be quarantined like we are in my state.
County officials need your help in determining the extent of the infestation..."To help officials, homeowners are asked to report any signs of declining or dying ash trees. Call the Fairfax County Forest Pest Program at 703-324-5304, TTY 711. Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/environmental/eab_general.htm for more information on identifying ash trees or the beetle."
I received this in an e-mail and it's ok to share it here-
Here are some links to sites containing EAB information:WHAT'S BEING DONE...
On Monday, July 7 the Forest Pest Branch of the Urban Forest Management Division, DPWES received a phone call from the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) requesting an inspection of ash trees located near Campbell Way in Herndon for possible infestation by emerald ash borer (EAB). Upon inspection of the trees, Forest Pest staff suspected EAB and promptly notified the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS).
On Tuesday, July 8 representatives from the Forest Pest, VDACS, and the United States Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) met at the site to investigate the trees and collect samples.
On Wednesday, July 9, we received a positive EAB identification from USDA-APHIS.
Now that USDA-APHIS has confirmed the infestation the national "emerald ash borer science advisory panel" (part of USDA) will recommend a course of action. Due to the fact that Fairfax County is already surrounded by EAB infested states (MD, WV, and PA) staff does not anticipate an EAB eradication project will be recommended (like that implemented in the Wolf Trap area in 2003); but, instead Fairfax County will be placed in a Federal EAB quarantine area. However, we will learn more concerning the USDA-APHIS course of action early next week.
In coordination with USDA-APHIS/ VDACS, Forest Pest staff will be setting out additional EAB traps in the Herndon vicinity to detect the extent of the EAB infestation over the next few days. Staff will update the Board about the extent of the EAB infestation and on pending USDA-APHIS/ VDACS actions.
FYI - ash trees are estimated to comprise 4 - 5% of Fairfax County's total tree population. This equates to approximately 1.5 to 2 million trees. Although, individual landscape trees can be treated for EAB, there are no treatments available to manage this insect on a wide-scale basis; therefore, short of a new research/treatment break-through, it is reasonable to expect significant levels of ash tree loss from EAB over the
next decade or so.
Unfortunately we also have an all-but-confirmed infestation in the Newington Area (our staff has visually confirmed adult EAB beetles but they have not been sent to the Feds for an official ID confirmation). The Emerald Ash Borer adult beetles are emerging at this time and will continue to do so for another 2 to 3 weeks, therefore we may get more cases from other areas of the County.
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/environmental/eab_general.htm
https://www.emeraldashborer.info/
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/emerald_ash_b/index.shtml
For what it's worth, I pretty much figured it was over for Ash trees 5 years ago and began planting niche species within a few feet of the Ash I have on my property so that a replacement species would have a chance to start establishing before the borer made it to my state... which it did... years ahead of when it had been projected to arrive. It's unfortunate but this is an Asian borer and unless they discover some sort of a magical biological control, there's no silver bullet out there other than chemicals for a specimen tree in a yard. The chemical route simply isn't worth it if one is familiar with the chemicals that could be used to save one Ash tree and those chemicals would have to be applied for the life of the tree as the EAB appears to be here to stay.