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A beetle that kills ash trees has been found in another Massachusetts county. Suffolk County is the third in the Bay State to have infestations of the Emerald Ash Borer.
The emerald ash borer is described by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation as a small metallic green beetle, native to Asia, that feeds on ash trees. First discovered in Detroit in 2002, the beetle was found in the Berkshire County town of Dalton in 2012, and again the following year in North Andover, in Essex County.
As a result of the finding at Arnold Arboretum, Suffolk County will be placed under quarantine, which would “only allow the movement of certain wood products under certain conditions.” The state previously banned bringing any firewood into state parks and forests. There will also be more surveys of trees and more traps set.
Another invasive Asian beetle, the Asian longhorned beetle, has caused large swaths of Worcester and surrounding towns to lose thousands of hardwood trees in the federal government’s attempt to contain their spread. The Asian longhorned beetle also was found in Boston, four years ago.
In 2010, six trees on the grounds of Faulkner Hospital were found to have been infested with the Asian longhorned beetle, and both were taken down and destroyed. Faulkner Hospital is across the street from the Arnold Arboretum, in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood. In May, the state declared the Asian longhorned beetle had been eradicated in Boston.
A 110-square-mile quarantine zone remains in effect in Worcester, West Boylston, Boylston, Shrewsbury, and parts of Holden and Auburn.
Agencies/Canadajournal
