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AI Summary: This regulation establishes a comprehensive statewide plan to prevent and control the emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive insect that threatens ash trees in California. The regulation, which will take effect on January 1, 2026, provides the California Department of Food and Agriculture with extensive legal authority to combat this invasive pest. The regulation covers the entire state and applies to the EAB in any life stage, including the insect itself and potentially infested materials like firewood, lumber, and nursery stock from ash trees. It gives the Department of Food and Agriculture broad powers to manage the potential infestation, including: - Establishing official eradication area boundaries - Declaring EAB and its host plants as public nuisances - Conducting visual inspections and setting traps - Removing and destroying infected or potentially infected trees - Applying insecticide treatments - Potentially importing and releasing natural predators of the EAB An area is considered "infested" if more than six trees contain EAB adults or larvae, as determined by state or federal agricultural agency surveys. The regulation is proactively designed to protect California's agricultural and non-agricultural ecosystems, including landscape plantings, parks, and wild lands. The legal framework is authorized under the Food and Agricultural Code and will be officially incorporated into Title 3 of the California Code of Regulations, specifically under section 3591.33. The status of the regulation is that it has been proposed, approved, and is scheduled to be implemented in January 2026.