U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Questions and Answers:

Changes in the Approach 

toward Fighting the 

Emerald Ash Borer

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently published a 

final rule that removes the federal domestic emerald ash 

borer (EAB) quarantine regulations. The final rule is 

effective January 14, 2021.

EAB is a beetle native to northeastern Asia that feeds on 

ash trees. Since it was first detected in Michigan in 2002, 

EAB has spread to 35 States and the District of 

Columbia. The quarantine has been unsuccessful at 

stopping the spread of this invasive pest. By removing 

the domestic quarantine regulations, APHIS can redirect 

available resources toward rearing and releasing tiny 

wasps to serve as biological control agents. A biological 

control agent is an organism, such as an insect, that is a 

natural enemy of EAB and can be used to help manage 

infestations. The larvae of four parasitoid wasp species 

are known to kill EAB. The goal of the EAB program is to 

help maintain ash trees as part of the North American 

landscape. 

What is changing?

The EAB program is transitioning from a program that 

includes regulatory activities, such as issuing permits, 

certificates and compliance agreements, to a program 

that is focused on methods for management of the pest, 

such as rearing and releasing biological control agents. 

What does this mean to me?

Because there is no longer an EAB federal quarantine in 

the United States, APHIS no longer regulates EAB or the 

movement of ash wood, ash wood products, and 

hardwood firewood. However, there may be other 

federal or state quarantines that regulate the movement 

of wood, wood products and other articles. Please 

contact your state department of agriculture to ask about 

any quarantines in your area. 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 

Plant Protection and Quarantine

What other activities have changed or will change?

Since there is no EAB federal quarantine, APHIS will no 

longer investigate quarantine violations, issue 

compliance agreements, issue permits for interstate 

movement of previously regulated materials, or issue kiln 

certifications. As of January 14, 2021, all previously 

issued EAB kiln certifications are no longer required by 

APHIS. Please contact your State Plant Regulatory 

Official to learn if kiln certifications are still required in 

your state, by visiting 

https://nationalplantboard.org/membership/. 

How is biological control used to manage EAB?

For several years, APHIS has researched EAB’s natural 

enemies— tiny stingless wasps known as parasitoids—

for use as biological control agents. A female parasitoid 

wasp finds a host EAB and lays her egg in the host. The 

wasp egg hatches, and the developing wasp larva will 

feed on the host insect, eventually killing it. These 

parasitoids are showing great promise in several states, 

especially in terms of protecting young ash saplings from 

EAB. So far, APHIS and our partners have released 

more than 8 million parasitoids in 30 states and the 

District of Columbia and recovered their offspring in 22 

states. This means the wasps are establishing, 

reproducing, and more importantly, attacking and killing 

EAB.

SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO OF ASH TREES
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

What is being done to help the states fight 

infestations?

APHIS is working with state departments of agriculture, 

Tribal partners, and others to detect EAB by using traps, 

debarking ash logs, and conducting visual tree 

inspection surveys. Finding EAB infestations helps to 

determine where biological control agents should be 

released. APHIS rears the biological control agents in 

our rearing facility located in Michigan and ships them to 

partners who then release the parasitoids in areas where 

EAB is infesting ash trees. We also work with our 

partners to determine if the wasps successfully 

reproduce and become established. If requested, APHIS 

can provide training and equipment to State regulatory 

officials who want to implement state-issued kiln 

certifications.

What additional research is underway to help 

manage EAB?

APHIS is researching the use of integrated pest 

management practices to reduce and control EAB in 

both urban and forest settings. These practices use a 

combination of tools and strategies to identify, manage, 

and reduce the risks and impacts from pests.

What about the risk that firewood poses as a 

pathway for spreading plant pests?

APHIS is working with the National Plant Board (NPB) to 

develop a web-based toolkit for the NPB Firewood 

Guidelines to assist states in determining how they can 

best prevent or reduce the movement of pests and 

pathogens on firewood. We continue to conduct

outreach to the general public on the noncommercial 

movement of firewood. Our partnership with the Don’t 

Move Firewood initiative encourages the public to buy or 

responsibly gather firewood where they burn it or use 

certified, heat-treated firewood. You can learn more by 

visiting www.dontmovefirewood.org.

How can I learn more?

To learn more about the EAB program, please visit 

www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-health/eab, or sign up to 

receive the EAB program report through our Stakeholder 

Registry, by visiting 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/downloads/eab

-report-sign-up.pdf.

Issued December 2020 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, 

employer, and lender.

USDA PHOTO OF BIOCONTROL RELEASE CONTAINER