Wooden planters could hold emerald ash borer

Wooden planter boxes sold at Lowe’s stores in Minnesota and across the United States could be harboring emerald ash borer, a pest responsible for destroying millions of trees in the Midwest, the Duluth News-Tribune reported.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture asked consumers to check for wooden planter boxes labeled “Nature's Own Planters” manufactured in Indiana by Lawson Products. The planters come from an area under federal quarantine for emerald ash borers.

“We are asking people to either burn the planters or double wrap them in 6 millimeter plastic bags and put them in the trash,” said Geir Friisoe, plant protection division director for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, in a statement.

-- Sarah