The emerald ash borer continues to spread in southeast South Dakota.
The Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources confirmed an infestation in Dakota Dunes. In response, officials are extending the state’s quarantine to include Union County.
Minnehaha, Lincoln, and Turner counties are already under quarantine.
The quarantine prohibits the movement of firewood out of these counties to slow the spread of emerald ash borer.
“We all need to work together to slow the spread of EAB,” said DANR Secretary Hunter Roberts in a press release. “Firewood is the most common way EAB is moved from one location to another. Please, follow the quarantine restrictions and buy it where you burn it.”
According to the USDA, the invasive insect has killed tens of millions of ash trees nationwide.