DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) -
Davenport is preparing for the onslaught of a tree-killing beetle by commissioning an inventory survey of the city's street trees.
The emerald ash borer has killed tens of millions of ash trees in the United States and Canada and threatens countless more. They've been detected in northeast Iowa and have been found in greater numbers in neighboring Illinois and Wisconsin.
The Quad-City Times says contracted arborists will examine an estimated 23,000 trees in city rights of ways and record information on tree location, species, size and condition.
Larvae of the emerald ash borer beetle drill into ash trees, eat through vascular tissue and stop the flow of water. An infested tree can die within a few years.