The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) was discovered near the Boston/Brookline boundary over the July 4th weekend.  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 is allowed to leave that area. A map of the area can be viewed below.  A highly trained and skilled team of professional arborists and entomologists is conducting inspections within the regulated area.  Several thousand trees have already been inspected and to date no additional infestations have been found.  To view daily updates of the tree survey activity and accompanying maps click here, which will take you to the updates page of the Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative Eradication Program website.

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.

• Brookline residents and property owners that live in the regulated area (see map below) and have town sanitation services should separate any limbs or other woody debris greater than 1/2" in diameter and up to 3' in length, from their leaf/grass clipping waste.  The woody debris can be strapped together, put in a barrel or put in a yard waste bag so that the Town can dispose of it appropriately.  Limbs greater than 3' in length are not acceptable as yard waste, and must chipped to less than 1" in two dimensions prior to disposal.  For more information, call the toll-free Asian longhorned beetle hotline at 866-702-9938.

• Brookline residents and property owners that live in the regulated area (see map below) and are not on town sanitation services must ensure that any limbs or other woody debris greater than 1/2" in diameter from their yards or property are chipped to less than 1" in two dimensions prior to disposal.  For more information, call the toll-free Asian longhorned beetle hotline at 866-702-9938.

 • Contractors working in the regulated area (see map below) must be trained to properly handle wood and woody debris from this area.  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 or visit http://www.mass.gov/dcr.

• To report suspicious tree damage, view photographs and videos of tree damage, or read about the Asian longhorned beetle, visit www.mass.gov/agr/alb.htm or call the toll-free Asian longhorned beetle hotline at 866-702-9938.

 
What to look for:

1)      Adult Asian longhorned beetles (shiny black beetles with white spots and long, banded antennae)

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 across – fresh pits often have oozing, foaming sap)

You can also look up more information at these sites http://massnrc.org/pests/alb or http://www.beetlebusters.info or at the Parks and Open Space Division website, www.brooklinema.gov/Parks

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