The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) was discovered near the Boston/Brookline
boundary this past 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. Early this
morning, they removed those trees and ground them into chips to kill 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.  Federal, state and local officials have made plans to further
investigate the source and extent of the infestation, and have scheduled
meetings to inform local residents and businesses about the effort.
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 wood products
are 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 will be conducting inspections within the regulated area. 
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.  A community meeting
has been set up next week for the public, and a training session this week
for anyone involved in the wood and wood products industry to answer
questions and keep everyone apprised of procedures and progress in the
infested area.

·    A community meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 13, from 6-8 p.m. in
the Franklin Park Clubhouse on Circuit Drive in Franklin Park in Boston.
·    An education session for those involved in the wood and wood products
industries will be Thursday, July 8, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the Franklin
Park Clubhouse on Circuit Drive in Franklin Park.
·    Brookline residents that have town sanitation services should separate
their leaf/grass clipping waste from any woody debris up to 4’ in length
that is greater than 1” in diameter.  The woody debris can be strapped
together, put in a barrel or in a yard waste bag so that the Town can both
inspect it and have it taken to the regulated disposal area as appropriate.
·    For property owners not on town sanitation services or clearing limbs or
other woody debris greater than 4’ in length from their yards and
properties, and anyone else wanting to dispose of wood, a drop-off area
will be set up within the regulated area. The location and any additional
details will be posted on www.mass.gov/agr/alb.htm as soon as a location
is determined.

The ALB is believed to have come to the United States in wooden packing
crates originating from China several years ago. The beetles bore into the
heartwood of a host tree, eventually killing the tree. The beetles have no
known predators in this country.

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)

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.

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