USDA plans for Asian longhorned beetle eradication

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing its plans for combatting the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) in New York, Massachusetts and Ohio in 2020.

Every year, APHIS evaluates and determines the most effective options to achieve ALB eradication. In 2020, the ALB program will focus on inspecting trees in quarantined areas in New York, Massachusetts and Ohio and removing infested trees at no cost to property owners. The program will not apply insecticide treatments this year.

In addition, program officials will monitor for the beetle’s presence inside and around each area, respond to service calls, conduct training sessions for compliance agreement holders and perform outreach.

Businesses and individuals who need to move regulated items, such as firewood (all hardwood species), nursery stock, logs, branches, etc., out of a quarantined area must obtain a compliance agreement, permit or certificate according to federal and state laws.

Businesses such as tree or landscape services that work on regulated articles in any quarantined area must enter into a compliance agreement with the ALB eradication program in their state.

Before entering into an agreement, you need to attend a free compliance training. To register for a training, call your local office: 513-381-7180 if you work in Ohio.

Residents in an ALB-quarantined area can help by doing the following:

• Allowing program officials access to your property to inspect trees and remove any infested trees that are found.
• Hiring tree or landscape companies that have compliance agreements with the eradication program to ensure that woody material from your property is properly removed and disposed of.
• Contacting your local ALB eradication program office or municipality for information on proper yard waste disposal procedures if you need to move woody materials such as stumps, logs, brush and twigs from your property.
• Not moving any infested tree materials, live trees or nursery stock of ALB host trees without first contacting your local eradication program office.
• Never moving wood out of ALB-quarantined areas because it can spread the beetle and other tree pests and diseases. State and federal officials monitor the movement of wood within and around regulated areas to enforce the quarantine and may issue fines to individuals and businesses that do not comply with the regulations.

Currently, 219.5 square miles are under quarantine for ALB in the United States, including 56.5 square miles in Clermont County, Ohio, including East Fork State Park, Tate Township and a portion of Williamsburg Township.

The ALB program has successfully eradicated ALB from Illinois (2008); New Jersey (2013); Brooklyn and Queens (2019), Manhattan and Staten Island (2013), and Islip (2011) in New York; Boston (2014) in Massachusetts; and Stonelick and Monroe Townships (2018) in Ohio.

ALB is a destructive insect that kills many hardwood tree species. The damage ALB causes compromises a tree’s structural integrity and makes the tree dangerous for people to be around.

If ALB were to become established in the United States, it could become one of the most devastating and costly invasive species ever to enter the country. The beetle threatens urban and suburban shade trees, recreational resources such as parks, forest resources and wildlife.

ALB could also impact industries such as maple syrup production, hardwood lumber processing, tree nurseries and tourism.

For more information about the beetle and program activities, call the ALB toll free hotline at 866-702-9938 or visit www.aphis.usda.gov/pests-diseases/alb.