A recent article from Pennsylvania sums up the issue of Emerald Ash Borer movement very well

In the article, "Beetle targeting ash trees" that was in the Times Leader of Northeastern PA, Tom Venesky says it all...

I'll say it again; even if you think your forest doesn't have a problem, it might still have one.

This weekend National Public Radio (NPR) aired a great story about ALB, and the threat of firewood.

This weekend, NPR's story on the Worcester Asian longhorned beetle infestation was spot-on. I'm glad they covered a lot of aspects of the threat that these beetles pose to our nation's forests, and I was really happy to hear this part of the story:

"Not moving firewood is very important and it's a message we're going to continue to hammer," says Mike Bohne, who works for the US Forest Service, in Durham, New Hampshire.

My jaw dropped when I saw this photo. My heart goes out to the residents of Worcester.

I know that they are removing a lot of trees in Worcester, and it is the right thing to do to stop the Asian longhorned beetle from spreading. If anything will drive home the devastating impact of invasive forest insects on the quality of life for everyday citizens, I think it might be these before and after photos of a street in Worcester.

What is going on in Worcester is not unique, but it is a tragedy.

I spent the last few days in Colorado at the Western meeting of the National Ski Areas Association- and trust me, if you want to understand the full impacts of insects that kill trees, you should go to Colorado.

You might not think that guacamole is threatened by the movement of firewood, but it is!

The Ambrosia beetle has such a nice name, but it is part of a very serious threat to the avocado industry. You see, the Ambrosia beetle spreads Redbay wilt, which is a fungus that can infect and kill avocado, sassafras, and redbay trees.

Sometimes I feel like we shouldn't move anything at all.

The movement of lots of stuff over long distances, in short time spans, is new to our planet. Firewood, hiking boots, imported fruit, bait buckets, ballast water... and now add to the list- potted plants.

New article on the Worcester Asian longhorned beetle outbreak talks about how diverse city trees could have mitigated the problem.

Yesterday's article in the journal Land Letter was a well written piece on invasives and the devastation they have caused.

In November 13th Land Letter, a natural resources weekly online report, the focus was on forest pests. The Asian longhorned beetles of Worcester got top billing, with a good mention of firewood. Here's a quote: