New pest found in California

A wood-boring insect called the Gold-spotted oak borer (Agrilus coxalis) has just been implicated in the death of up to 10% of the Coast live oak and California black oak trees on the California-Mexico border in Cleveland National Forest . A newly discovered damaging pest, it can be easily transported in oak firewood and the insect has previously been known from Arizona, Mexico, and Guatemala. In its native range, the Gold-spotted oak borer apparently does not kill oak trees.  More study is needed to determine how authorities should best respond to this newly discovered threat.

The US Forest Service has asked people to avoid moving oak firewood or logs so as to not contribute to spreading the beetles. 

While the Gold-spotted oak borer (Agrilus coxalis) is in the same genus as the Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), this does not necessarily mean that it will be as destructive; only that they are related insects.

For more information, see http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/cleveland/news/2008/08/oak-borer.shtml