PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Portland is bracing for yet another threat to the city’s greenery. The emerald ash borer, a half-inch-long metallic-green beetle, is expected to arrive in Portland soon. More than 95,000 trees are at risk.
Portland Parks and Recreation‘s Urban Forestry division recently released a plan to manage the insects, which have already been found in Washington, Yamhill, Marion and Clackamas counties.
“Emerald ash borer’s arrival in Portland is imminent if it is not here already,” according to the report.
“Losing our ash canopy will have a detrimental effect on shade equity, habitat, and Portland’s efforts to manage urban heat and extreme weather events which are likely to become more frequent because of the changing climate,” the report said…