Massachusetts has notched a victory in its long war against an infamous bug that kills trees.
The Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Department of Agricultural Resources announced on Friday that they have eradicated the Asian longhorned beetle in the town of Shrewsbury. The community will no longer be a part of a special quarantine zone in Central Massachusetts that restricts the movement of wood and tree trimmings in order to prevent the beetle's spread.
Shrewsbury is the second town, after Holden, that state officials have declared free of the inky-black bug with white spots often referred to as "ALB."
"The Asian longhorned beetle is one of the most destructive invasive species that currently threatens the health of trees across Massachusetts," Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Nicole LaChapelle said in a press release. "Removing Shrewsbury, just a year after removing Holden, from the quarantine area is a huge milestone in the fight to eradicate ALB."
The Asian longhorned beetle feeds on maple, poplar, willow and elm trees. Infested trees can become so unstable and weak that they easily topple over during storms, threatening public safety, wildlife habitat and the state's maple and timber industries.
Combatting the beetle has been a priority for Massachusetts since an infestation was first discovered in Worcester County in 2008. Officials responded by putting six communities in a quarantine zone. With help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, forest workers have cut down and ground up at least 30,000 trees around the region — the only way to contain the beetle's spread.
More recently, state and federal workers have been climbing trees and walking through forests ensuring there are no lingering signs of the beetle. They haven't spotted an infestation since 2021.
Still, officials said they have to spend several more years surveying trees before they can confidently say the beetle is no longer killing any. In Shrewsbury alone, state and federal forest workers scanned thousands of trees for the bug at least three times before concluding the beetle is no longer in the town.
"Missing one beetle could turn into another small infestation, and that's the last thing we want," said state forest health specialist Felicia Hubacz. She added that the work "is very tedious."
"People who first come on, it takes them about a month to get over the neck pain from looking up all day long," she said. "If there's anybody who's a masseuse out there, you might want to set your booth up right outside the ALB office."
Officials believe the beetle made its way to Massachusetts and other states via wood packaging material from China. The beetle damages a tree by laying eggs in its bark. After hatching, the larvae dig deeper into the tree, eating its core for over a year until they become adults. They then chew their way out of the trunk, leaving behind exit holes the size of a dime.
In 2010, officials discovered an Asian longhorned beetle infestation in Boston, but officials were able to eradicate the bug in the city by 2014.
With Shrewsbury also now beetle-free, the community will no longer be part of the state's Asian longhorned beetle quarantine zone in Worcester County. Hubacz said the quarantine helps prevent any infested wood or tree limbs from being transported out of affected areas. Arborists and landscapers who work within the quarantine zone also have to undergo training to learn about the beetle and how to spot signs of it.
"So when they're working in a town and it's no longer under the quarantine of the regulated area, they no longer have to do that," Hubacz said. "A lot of people decided not to even bother working in the regulated areas."
State and federal forest workers now plan to prioritize inspecting trees in communities that remain in the quarantine zone: West Boylston, Boylston, Auburn and Worcester.
They're confident they can completely eradicate the bug because it doesn't fly far and doesn't spread as quickly as other destructive tree pests they're fighting, like the emerald ash borer, southern pine beetle and hemlock wooly adelgid.
Barring any setbacks, officials hope to declare Massachusetts free of the Asian longhorned beetle by 2030.
"This has been a long process," said state forest health specialist Mark Faulkenberry. "We need to make sure we get this right."
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