Asian longhorn, other bugs causing million$ in damage

By Jessica Fargen

Asian longhorned beetle.

As state officials prepare to mark one year of battling the tree-killing Asian longhorned beetle in Worcester, another invasive bug that has wiped out millions of trees in other states is on the horizon.

Since the longhorned beetle, believed to have been imported in packaging from Asia, was discovered in Worcester on July 31, 2008, more than 22,000 trees in the central Massachusetts city have been destoyed or removed, at a cost of nearly $25 million and growing.

Now, there is the worry that the emerald ash borer, another vexing vermin that has destroyed millions of trees in 12 states, is encroaching on Massachusetts. It was found in New York this summer. The bug could devastate ash trees in forests, city parks and along streets if not detected, said Charlie Burnham, program supervisor for forest health at the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

“We don’t believe it’s here yet,” said Burnham, who manages the placement of 10 ash borer traps across the state. “It would have a significant impact on forest and shade trees if it should get here.”

Burnham spent Thursday morning checking sticky, 2-foot-tall traps strung high up in five trees in eastern Massachusetts towns, including Walpole and Medfield.

“The more eyes we have looking for these invasives, the better our chances of finding them and getting a control or eradication program in place,” he said, noting that emerald ash borers leave a tiny, D-shaped hole in tree trunks.

Worcester City Manager Michael V. O’Brien said he now worries about “another wave of potential tree losses” if the emerald ash borer infests the state.

Although Asian longhorned beetles were first discovered a year ago in Worcester, it’s believed they have been in the central Massachusetts city since 1998.

“It takes down what has through time helped define the character of our community – our urban forest – devastating neighborhoods that were tree-lined streets, back yards cooled by shade that are now barren,” O’Brien said.

Private and government money has gone to a tree-planting program, but years of work are ahead, he said. USDA surveyors planned to inspect Worcester trees. Suzanne Bond, spokeswoman for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is coordinating the Worcester eradication effort, said it’s very likely the Asian longhorned beetle has spread elsewhere in the state.

“We are asking people, no matter where they live, to be cognizant” of it, she said, adding that the black-and-white beetles leave behind a small, round hole in tree trunks.

Jennifer Forman Orth, plant pest survey coordinator for the state Department of Agricultural Resources, hopes that the declaration of August as Asian Longhorned Beetle Awareness Month in Massachusetts will help keep the bug at bay.

“The most important thing now is that we keep it from spreading outside of the Worcester area,” she said. “The public needs to be vigilant about reporting any potential sightings of the beetle.”

If you believe you have spotted an Asian longhorned beetle, contact the Asian longhorned beetle program at 1-866-702-9938.