Boston Globe excerpt...
Asian longhorned beetles, invasive tree-killers, found in Boston
By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff
July 6, 2010 11:36 AM
Asian longhorned beetles, the voracious tree-killing insects that caused a major problem in Worcester, have been found on the grounds of the Faulkner Hospital in Boston, state officials said today.
The beetles were found in six trees on the grounds of the hospital in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood, the officials said in a statement.
Federal, state, and local officials planned to hold a news conference at 11 a.m. today at the hospital to discuss the discovery.
After the beetles were discovered in Worcester in 2008, more than 17,000 infested trees were cut down. Another 10,000 were cut down because of their proximity to the infestation.
The hospital is located across the street from Harvard University's 265-acre Arnold Arboretum.
The arboretum is both a favorite place for residents to stroll and a leading center for the study of plants, one of whose goals, according to its website, is to preserve trees.
Wendy Fox, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, had no comment on what measures might be taken to combat the beetles in Boston.
Experts have said Massachusetts has the most infested trees in the country, and more than $54 million has been appropriated in emergency funds in the event an outbreak reoccurs.
The beetles are believed to have come from China. They bore into trees and eventually kill them. They mainly attack hardwood trees, including maples, elms, willows, and birches. There are no known predators to stop the beetles, state officials said.
The infestation at the Faulkner was confirmed this weekend by officials from the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The news came only two weeks after volunteers inspected the trees on Boston Common and were unable to find any traces of the beetle.
