It may be a tiny insect, but the arrival of the emerald ash borer could have a devastating impact on New York's trees. Our Tamara Lindstrom tells us why foresters and loggers alike are dreading the deadly green invaders.

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"There is no known cure for it right now. It's killing trees. Millions of them," said Les Wagner, president and co-owner of Wagner Lumber in Owego.

The emerald ash borer was first spotted in Detroit eight years ago after it likely stowed away in an overseas shipment. Now for the second year, the insect is in New York and it wants the same thing lumber companies do.

"Ash is a very desirable wood on the world market," Wagner said. "It's easy to dry. It's lightweight. It's strong. It has almost identical grain patterns to red oak."

The reason this insect is so devastating is that it lays its eggs on top of the bark. When the larvae hatch they dig into the tree, girdling it and cutting off its nutrients until the tree dies within three years.

"The state guys who are aware of this problem are now marking ash as if it's not going to be there ten years from now. It's bad news," Wagner said.

Bad news for a company that relies on ash for a fifth of its product. The wood is used in everything from baseball bats to hockey sticks, furniture and tool handles. But there's another use for ash that could be driving its extinction.

"Ash is the firewood of kings. Ash is a very dry wood, very straight-grained. It's easy to split, so if someone cuts down an ash tree, it's nice and light. It burns well," Wagner said.

Moving firewood looks like the easiest way the ash borer is getting around, with the insect multiplying in popular camping grounds. And while the logging industry is doing everything it can to stop the spread...

"We're doing what our timberlands and any land owner in the know are doing. We're having foresters go into our lands and prematurely cut some of the ash," Wagner said.

Wagner says it's the public that can have an even greater impact on stopping the invaders.

The D.E.C. asks that you leave your campfire at home and instead buy it at the campground or from a local vendor.