Emerald ash borer confirmed in Smokies

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — The destructive emerald ash borer has been found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

In a news release sent Thursday, park management stated the beetles were discovered last week in traps at the Sugarlands Visitor Center and in the Greenbrier area — both on the Tennessee side of the 500,000-acre park that lies partly in North Carolina. A U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist confirmed the discovery.