CANBY, Ore. — The recent discovery of emerald ash borer in Oregon came as a shock to the system for nursery manager Joe Dula.

“It was like, ‘Holy crap, this is bad,’” said Dula, who runs the nearly 200-acre Moana Nursery in Canby, 45 miles southeast of where the highly destructive pest was found in Forest Grove. “You know you’ve got a problem coming.”

Almost immediately, Dula was on the phone with Jeff Stone, executive director of the Oregon Association of Nurseries, which represents the state’s $1 billion industry. They both knew what this could mean for producers.

Native to Asia, the first U.S. sighting of emerald ash borer came in Michigan in 2002. Since then, the invasive insect has decimated tens of millions of North American ash trees in 30 states, according to the USDA.

The discovery in planted ash trees at a middle school parking lot in Forest Grove — a suburb of Portland — marks the first sighting of emerald ash borer on the West Coast.

“This was always a pest we hoped would never get here,” Stone said.

Moana Nursery specializes in growing trees, shrubs and perennial plants suited for the desert climate of Reno, Nev., where the company is based and operates three garden centers.

While ash trees don’t make up a large percentage of sales compared to oaks and maples, Dula said they are popular with commercial and residential landscapers because they are hardy, durable and eye-catching for their fall colors.

Dula said they will now likely quit selling ash trees as customers become wary of potentially introducing emerald ash borer.

“I’m not going to be gambling with the ash trees,” he said. “I’m going to be gambling with the oaks, maples and other varieties.”

How the pest got to Oregon remains a mystery. Stone said there is no evidence to suggest it arrived in nursery stock. “We’re pretty careful with what we bring into the state,” he said, hypothesizing it could have been accidentally imported via firewood from out of state.

One week after the initial sighting on June 30, members of the nursery industry gathered for a virtual meeting with the Oregon Department of Agriculture to learn more about emerald ash borer, and how to identify possible infestations.

“That’s really been our message — if in doubt, don’t ship it out,” Stone said.

Chris Benemann, nursery and Christmas tree program manager for ODA, said the state has 11 inspectors for approximately 2,800 licensed nurseries. She said the first line of defense is outreach and education.

In addition to ash, Benemann said the pest can also affect olive and ornamental white fringe trees. The first sign is typically a thinning canopy, followed by distinctive S-shaped galleries where the insects have bored into the wood.

ODA is considering a small, temporary quarantine in Washington County where the emerald ash borer was first spotted, Benemann said. It would limit the movement of possibly infested wood. That may affect some local nurseries, though she did not know exactly how many.

“That has not been finalized yet,” Benemann said. “If a grower is located in Washington County, but doesn’t sell (those species), the quarantine wouldn’t impact them at all.”

Stone said nurseries will need to be vigilant scouting for signs of emerald ash borer to reassure customers and protect the industry’s reputation.

“We certainly don’t want to exacerbate the problem,” he said.