TEXAS, USA — Another Texas county is at risk of a "tree-killing" invasive species.
The invasive wood-boring pest known as the emerald ash borer was confirmed in Cooke County recently, which is about 90 miles north of Dallas.
The pest is responsible for killing millions of trees across 35 states since it arrived in the United States in 2002, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Officials say the pest can aggressively kill ash trees within three years after infestation. The beetles were collected in a trap that are part of the state's monitoring program.
"EAB is a major threat to urban, suburban and rural forests as it aggressively kills ash trees within two to three years after infestation,” said Allen Smith, Texas A&M Forest Service Regional Forest Health Coordinator.
Officials said there are few to no external symptoms of an infestation, but that dead branches near the top of trees are one of the few signs.
The beetle was first found in Texas in 2016 in Harrison County. It has since been confirmed in Bowie, Cass, Dallas, Denton, Marion, Morris, Parker, Rusk, Tarrant, Titus and Wise.
Nearly 500 EAB traps have been deployed statewide.