Arbor Day in Minneapolis’ Bethune Park was not just about hugs for trees and free seedlings this year. As kids scrambled up ropes and volunteers tucked new saplings into the soil on Friday, city foresters delivered a sobering message: Minnesota’s ash trees are under attack. The emerald ash borer is now confirmed in 59 of the state’s 87 counties, turning what started as a localized pest problem into a full-on statewide fight. Between family activities, residents got straight talk on removals, quarantines and what they can do to help protect what is left of the canopy.
Statewide spread
According to surveys in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ 2025 Forest Health Annual Report, emerald ash borer, or EAB, was recently detected in six additional counties, bringing the total to 59 of Minnesota’s 87 counties, the Minnesota DNR reports. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture, which tracks EAB distribution and quarantines, notes the pest was first confirmed in the state in 2009 and that Minnesota has nearly a billion forest and…..