The six infested red maple trees have been removed and federal and state officials are in the process of examining every vulnerable tree within 1.5 miles. Frank Lowenstein, director of forest health for the Nature Conservancy, said that this insect "has the ability to be the beetle that ate New England," as reported by The Boston Globe.
The Asian longhorned beetle is "an invasive species of much concern in the United States." The beetle has no known predators and "is especially pernicious because it threatens so many types of trees including maple, elm, willow, birch, horse chestnut, poplar, and mimosa. In the spring, a pesticide can be used to treat at-risk trees to try to prevent future infestation, but once a tree is infested, the only option is to cut it down and turn it into chips or burn it."
Two years ago, an infestation was discovered in the Worcester area of Massachusetts, "which led to the destruction of 25,000 trees at a cost of $50 million in federal and state money." This infestation currently appears more contained.
For more information on the Asian longhorned beetle, click here.
For access to the DCR press release, click here.
To read the Boston Globe story, click here.
Posted: 07/07/2010
