— — Erie and Niagara counties have been added to the quarantine list in an effort to stem the spread of a pesky beetle that attacks and kills ash trees.

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker and Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis announced the expanded quarantine list Tuesday.

State officials added 16 counties in all to the current quarantine list, which restricts the movement of ash trees, ash products and firewood from all wood species to help limit the spread of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer.

“It is quickly becoming evident that the Emerald Ash Borer, which was first detected in New York State last year, is more widespread than originally hoped,” Hooker said in a news release. “It is no surprise that we are finding this pest in other counties, but it is our intent to try and slow the human spread of this pest by expanding the quarantine area and regulating the movement of firewood and ash wood and nursery products in those areas.”

The DEC’s Grannis added that the movement of untreated firewood and other wood products offers a direct pathway for the Emerald Ash Borer and other invasive species to infect new areas. “Quarantines are one of the tools New York is using to prevent the spread of EAB from the areas where the insect’s presence has been confirmed,” Grannis said.

The Emerald Ash Borer has been confirmed in seven New York counties: Cattaraugus, Genesee, Greene, Livingston, Monroe, Steuben and Ulster. The expanded quarantine includes counties where the beetle has been confirmed, as well as 11 others that are adjacent to confirmed detections of the ash borer in New York, Pennsylvania and Canada.

Those counties include Allegany, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Ontario, Schuyler, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates.

Officials say the quarantines restrict the intrastate movement of the Emerald Ash Borer insect itself, as well as nursery ash, green lumber and all other ash tree material.

The quarantine affects all firewood, wood chips and bark mulch because of the difficulty in distinguishing between species of firewood, environmental officials said. The DEC’s quarantine will take effect around Sept. 18.

A small but destructive beetle, the Emerald Ash Borer infests and kills North American ash tree species. It was first discovered in New York in the Cattaraugus County town of Randolph last summer. The beetle also has been found in 14 other states along the east coast and across the Midwest.

State officials report that New York has more than 900 million ash trees, comprising approximately 7 percent of all trees in the state. Ash is key in the manufacturing of baseball bats, and serves as a common shade tree in many communities.

Anyone who suspects a tree has been damaged by the Emerald Ash Borer is asked to visit StopTheBeetle.info, or call 1-866-322-4512.