Chris Naselli of Rainbow Treecare was simply checking on whether some trees along Long Avenue needed pruning when he spotted some suspicious symptoms Wednesday.
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"As I was walking this line of ash trees, I noticed a lot of woodpecker holes and this flakey bark," he says while pointing at a tree.
Beneath the bark, Naselli saw damage consistent with emerald ash borer.
"I was very shocked," he says.
Rainbow Treecare eventually found emerald ash borer larvae in the tree and quickly notified the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
State officials sent photos to the United States Department of Agriculture, which made a preliminary confirmation Thursday morning.
"We're fairly certain this is, in fact, emerald ash borer," says Geir Friisoe of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
It's the state's first emerald ash borer infestation.
"This is actually a day I hoped would not come for many, many years," Friisoe says.
The emerald ash borer is a metallic-green beetle that's just half an inch long. It's larvae feed on a tree's nutrients.
"So the tree is basically starved to death by the action of this insect tunneling within it," says Mark Abrahamson, the state's emerald ash borer project manager.
The extent of this infestation is unknown right now, but several trees are showing symptoms in and around Hampden Park, which is northeast of the intersection of I-94 and Highway 280.
Paul Johnston lives across the street from where the first case was located. The giant ash tree in his front yard has been ailing for years, especially in the past year. Experts tell him the tree has emerald ash borer.
"To hear that ash borer is probably on this street is kind-of amazing," Johnson says. "Just amazed that it happened here first."
Even though the infestation was discovered Wednesday, emerald ash borer has likely already been in this area three to five years.
"Emerald ash borer is really hard to find," Abrahamson says. "The symptoms are very subtle and you would not notice them until they become pronounced enough that the trees actually start to decline or die."
Firewood is the primary way it gets around, which is why Minnesotans are being asked not to transport firewood.
"The best firewood is local firewood," says Val Cervenka of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. "If you're going camping and you do want to bring firewood, buy it locally and burn it all while you're there."
For tree-lover Chris Naselli, it's a sad discovery, but he's looking at the bright side.
"In so many ways, I'm glad that I found it so we can start preventing the spread of it," he says.
In the next day or two, the state will issue a quarantine in Hennepin and Ramsey counties to prohibit the movement of firewood, ash nursery stock, ash timber and other things that could spread emerald ash borer.
Nearly 600 nurseries and garden centers will be affected by the quarantine, says Bob Fitch of the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association.
"The immediate impact will be felt by our industry very quickly," Fitch says. "Hundreds of thousands of dollars in ash trees will be off-sale."
If one of your trees has emerald ash borer, experts advise contacting a trained arborist to see if the tree can be saved. Rainbow Treecare says it has treatments that can get rid of the problem. However, some trees may have to be cut down.
If you suspect a tree has emerald ash borer, call the "Arrest the Pest" hotline at 651-201-6684.
