Worcester's response to Asian longhorned beetle: Reforestation, stewardship, and sustainability

Abstract

In 2008, an invasive insect, the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) was discovered in Worcester, Massachusetts, the second largest city in New England. For the previous 12 to 15 years the beetles had quietly spread in the dense maple canopy in the Greendale and Burncoat neighborhoods and likely piggy-backed on firewood and vehicles to other nearby towns. Trees were weakened and the health of the urban forest compromised. The insect, a native of China, had most probably arrived in Worcester on wooden shipping pallets at the end of the last century before regulations requiring treatment of shipping pallets were implemented. In the 2001 book, "Trees At Risk", author Evelyn Herwitz documents a history of open space preservation and tree canopy growth in Worcester during the 19th century, only to be followed by decades of decline and neglect due to lack of funding, disease, and natural disasters.

Parent Publication

• Green Readiness, Response, and Recovery: A Collaborative Synthesis

Citation

Middaugh, Peggy. 2019. Worcester's response to Asian longhorned beetle: Reforestation, stewardship, and sustainability. In: Campbell, Lindsay K.; Svendsen, Erika; Sonti, Nancy Falxa; Hines, Sarah J.; Maddox, David, eds. Green readiness, response, and recovery: A collaborative synthesis. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-185. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 104-115. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-P-185-paper7.