CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The emerald ash borer, an insect that has already killed 25 million ash trees in eight states and spread to Fayette County in 2007, has been found in Morgan County, the West Virginia Department of Agriculture announced Thursday.

"The discovery of emerald ash borers in Morgan County illustrates just how effective these non-native insects and other invasive species can be at moving around undetected until they begin to visibly damage our forests," said state Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass.

"We just completed our gypsy moth suppression project for this year, and now we will begin surveying Morgan County to learn the extent of the emerald ash borer infestation there and try to prevent its spread."

The presence of the emerald ash borer, a native of Asia, was first detected in the United States 15 to 20 years ago in the Detroit area, where it is believed to have arrived aboard wooden packing crates. Since then, it has spread into Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Wisconsin, Virginia and West Virginia.

Morgan County will be added to an emerald ash borer quarantine area established two years ago in Fayette County to slow the spread of the pest by making it illegal to bring in firewood from outside the county. The two-county quarantine also bars the transport of ash logs from Morgan or Fayette counties into other counties.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The emerald ash borer, an insect that has already killed 25 million ash trees in eight states and spread to Fayette County in 2007, has been found in Morgan County, the West Virginia Department of Agriculture announced Thursday.

"The discovery of emerald ash borers in Morgan County illustrates just how effective these non-native insects and other invasive species can be at moving around undetected until they begin to visibly damage our forests," said state Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass.

"We just completed our gypsy moth suppression project for this year, and now we will begin surveying Morgan County to learn the extent of the emerald ash borer infestation there and try to prevent its spread."

The presence of the emerald ash borer, a native of Asia, was first detected in the United States 15 to 20 years ago in the Detroit area, where it is believed to have arrived aboard wooden packing crates. Since then, it has spread into Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Wisconsin, Virginia and West Virginia.

Morgan County will be added to an emerald ash borer quarantine area established two years ago in Fayette County to slow the spread of the pest by making it illegal to bring in firewood from outside the county. The two-county quarantine also bars the transport of ash logs from Morgan or Fayette counties into other counties.