Note:

• The Asian longhorned beetle regulated area in South Brookline is still in effect in 2012 and is expected to continue for several years. No wood or woody debris greater than ½ inch in diameter is allowed to leave the area. See below for a map of the regulated area and information on disposing of wood or woody debris.

• Residents throughout Brookline are encouraged to look for and report any suspicious tree damage or possible Asian longhorned beetle sightings. See below for more information and resources.

BACKGROUND

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) was discovered near the Boston/Brookline boundary on July 3, 2010, and is still a significant concern for Brookline. Federal officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of the invasive beetle in six trees on the grounds of Faulkner Hospital in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. The trees were removed and ground into chips to eliminate any adult beetles or larvae. The six infested trees in Jamaica Plain represent the first confirmed ALB presence in Massachusetts outside Worcester County, where the invasive species was discovered in August 2008.

The potential presence of the ALB in our community is a significant concern. The Parks and Open Space Division is working in cooperation with federal and state officials to investigate the source and extent of the infestation. The ALB is an invasive pest that grows and reproduces within healthy and stressed deciduous hardwood tree species, such as maple, birch, horse chestnut, poplar, willow, elm and ash. The beetles bore into the heartwood of a host tree, eventually killing the tree. The ALB is believed to have come to the United States in wooden packing crates originating from China several years ago. The beetles have no known predators in this country.

As part of the inspection and eradication process, Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) officials have declared a regulated area around the site where the infested trees were found. The area extends in a 1.5-mile radius from the site. No wood or woody debris greater than ½ inch in diameter is allowed to leave that area. A map of the regulated area can be viewed below. A highly trained and skilled team of professional arborists and entomologists is conducting inspections within the regulated area. Over 43,000 trees have already been inspected and to date no additional infestations have been found.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Conservation and Recreation, City of Boston, Town of Brookline, and other municipalities and agencies are working together to educate the public on the ALB and to solicit their help in reporting and dealing with it.

DISPOSAL OF WOOD & WOODY DEBRIS

For residents, property owners, and contractors in the regulated area (see map below):

• Residents and property owners on town sanitation services. The town is temporarily collecting woody debris greater than ½” in diameter curbside. It should be separated from standard leaf/grass clipping waste and smaller woody debris. It can be strapped together, put in a barrel or put in a yard waste bag so that the town can dispose of it appropriately.
• Residents and property owners not on town sanitation services. Any limbs or other woody debris greater than ½” in diameter from your yard or property must disposed of by a properly trained contractor (see below), or must be chipped to less than 1” in two dimensions prior to disposal. For more information, please call the toll-free Asian longhorned beetle hotline at 866-702-9938.
• Contractors working in the regulated area. Contractors must be trained to properly handle wood and woody debris. Contractors who have gone through the official compliance training may dispose of wood and woody debris at a Boston processing facility. For more information on contractor compliance training and wood disposal, call the toll-free Asian longhorned beetle hotline at 866-702-9938.
  
  

REPORTING SUSPICIOUS TREE DAMAGE OR BEETLES

To report suspicious tree damage or a possible Asian longhorned beetle sighting, visit the Asian Longhorned Beetle Reporting website or call the toll-free Asian longhorned beetle hotline at 866-702-9938. The reporting website also includes a mini-identification guide for the Asian longhorned beetle and tree damage, and pictures of look-alike beetles.


WHAT TO LOOK FOR

1. Adult Asian longhorned beetles (shiny black beetles, 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long, with white spots and long, banded antennae that are 1 to 2 times its body length)
   
   
2. ALB exit holes (dime-sized, perfectly round holes, especially in maple, but also in birch, elm, horse chestnut, willow and other hardwood trees... but not oak)
   
   
3. ALB egg-laying sites (divots in the bark ranging in size from 1/4 to 3/4 inches acress - fresh pits often have oozing, foaming sap)

     Adult Asian Longhorned Beetle


LINKS & NEWS

Asian Longhorned Beetle Information & Cooperative Eradication Program from Massachusetts Department of Agriculture for latest news, regulation and compliance information, learning to identify the ALB, and more.

Beetle Busters website from USDA for detailed information on the ALB and what it looks like, where it is in the United States, and what to do if you find the ALB.

Parks and Open Space Division website for information on forestry insects, pests and diseases, including the ALB.


MAP OF THE REGULATED AREA

Note: No wood or woody debris greater than 1/2 inch in diameter is allowed to leave the regulated area shown in this map.  See above for instructions on disposal of these materials.