Pine beetles and emerald ash borer

A dying tree near Hot Springs is often a pine or an ash, and the cause is often an insect. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Forestry Division tracks the main ones.

Pines: Ips engraver beetles

The Forestry Division describes Ips as three bark beetle species that periodically kill pines, usually after drought, and says a dying, red-colored pine in Arkansas is almost certainly infested with them. The state's 2025 forest health report names loblolly and shortleaf as its dominant pines. A pine that has gone red from top to bottom is usually a removal question.

Pines: southern pine beetle

Southern pine beetle is recognized as the most damaging forest pest in the South, but the Forestry Division says it hasn't been a problem in Arkansas since the mid-1990s. Its 2025 report says no outbreaks have been reported in Arkansas or states west of the Mississippi for more than twenty years, and its 18 pheromone traps caught none in 2025, the second straight year.

Ash: emerald ash borer

The Arkansas State Plant Board confirmed emerald ash borer in Garland County in May 2017, when it was in 17 Arkansas counties; the Forestry Division's 2025 report counts 44 of 75. The division says eradication is impossible and that ash in every Arkansas county will eventually be infested, though single trees can be protected with an insecticide treatment. The Park Service's 2017 notice says an infestation usually kills an ash within 2 to 5 years.

Signs listed by the Cooperative Extension:

• Jagged holes from woodpeckers feeding on larvae
• D-shaped exit holes in the bark
• Canopy dieback starting at the top
• Sprouts from the base of the trunk
• Larval tunnels under the bark of dying trees

"Most homeowners and landowners in Arkansas never see the actual beetle itself," Tamara Walkingstick of the Arkansas Forest Resource Center said in the Extension's 2017 release. "They typically see the damage it has done."

Sassafras: laurel wilt

Laurel wilt is a non-native disease carried by the non-native redbay ambrosia beetle. It threatens the laurel family, and the Forestry Division's biggest concern for Arkansas is the loss of sassafras.

Firewood

Invasive pests spread when wood moves. The Forestry Division discourages moving firewood long distances and asks people to burn it near where it was cut. When an infested tree comes down, ask the contractor where the wood is going.

Treatment and who can do it

Treating a tree with pesticide for pay falls under the Arkansas Pest Control Law, which has a Tree and Turf Pest Control classification (Classification 4). For an opinion on a tree in the city right-of-way, the Hot Springs Urban Forester inspects and diagnoses insect and disease problems ((501) 651-7733). The Forestry Division's forest health contact is at (501) 225-1598, or ask your county forester.