The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources has confirmed the emerald ash borer has spread to Milbank.
As a result, officials have expanded the existing quarantine area to include Grant County. This is in addition to quarantines already in place in Brookings, Minnehaha, Lincoln, Turner, and Union Counties.
The quarantine prohibits the movement of firewood and ash materials out of the affected counties to slow the spread of the invasive insect.
"We all need to work together to slow the spread of EAB," said DANR Secretary Hunter Roberts. "With the summer camping season here, firewood is the most common way EAB is moved from one location to another. Please follow the quarantine and embargo restrictions to buy it where you burn it."
Forest Service officials said the emerald ash borer has killed tens of millions of ash trees since it was found in the U.S. more than 20 years ago. It was first confirmed in southeast South Dakota in 2018.
Property owners within a 15-mile radius of Milbank who want preventative treatments on their ash trees should contact a commercial applicator as soon as possible.