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30 Arbor Age / July 2014 www.arborage.com B y R h o n d a S a n t o s As a reader of Arbor Age, you likely already know about the Asian longhorned beetle or ALB (Anoplophora glabripennis) and its impact on trees. What you likely haven't heard enough about is the effort to rid ourselves of this invasive tree pest. This past May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), together with its partners, announced the beetle has been effectively eradicated from an area in Boston. The beetle was discovered in Boston in July 2010 and 10 square miles were regulated in Norfolk and Suffolk Counties. At just under four years, the announcement marks the shortest eradication timeframe yet. APHIS and its partners undertake eradication by impos- ing quarantines or regulations, conducting regulatory inspec- tions, surveying host trees by using ground and aerial visual survey methods, removing infested and high-risk host trees, and chemically treating un-infested host trees. An area can be declared free of the beetle after all the infested trees are elimi- nated and multiple surveys are negative for active signs of the beetle activity or the presence of the beetle itself. The short time taken to eradicate the pest in Boston is a testament to early detection lessening the impact to an affected community. The eradication program removed six infested trees from one property and conducted multiple inspection surveys of more than 90,000 host trees. In May 2013, the third and fi nal cycle of chemical treatment applica- tions were completed on 2,000 host trees. The eradication in Boston reduces the areas regulated for ALB in Massachusetts from 120 to 110 square miles. Regulations remain in place for areas within Worcester County in central Massachusetts. Unfortunately, this past March, 28 square miles were added to the ALB regulated area on Long Island, New York, affecting areas within Babylon Township. As a result, the total regulated area for ALB on Long Island has expanded from 23 square miles to 51 square miles, with a total of 137 square miles under regulation in New York. Regulations remain in place for the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. While this discovery is disheartening, the goal remains to eradicate the beetle while trying to save as many trees as possible. Preventing the spread of ALB is a top priority for the USDA. If ALB were to become established in the United States, it could have a severe impact on the timber, maple syrup, tree nursery, and tourism industries, as well as on the environment. In addition, public spaces, yards, and neighbor- hoods would take decades to recover. Unfortunately, all states are at risk as all states have trees the beetle can attack and in which it can complete its life cycle. However, the states that are already fi ghting an ALB infesta- tion, and those states boarding an infestation, are at a higher TREE PEST MANAGEMENT TREE PEST MANAGEMENT Eradicating ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE Calls for Vigilance