Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow . The exotic invasive Emerald Ash borer, an Asian beetle, was first found in the US in Michigan in 2002, it probably arrived in solid wooden packing material. Today this insect is active in thirty states (South Carolina was just added on August 3 rd ). Hundreds of millions of ash trees have died in the 15 years since this insect arrived. The natural stands of American ash species are predominantly in the northern