About the Problem
In these times, the global economy moves at the speed of light- and with it, invasive pests sometimes hitch a ride. About 76,000 shipping containers enter the US each day, many from ecosystems very similar to our own. Practically any of them might contain an invasive pest or pathogen - insects or diseases with no known predators here in North America, which can upset the delicate ecological balance here. Plenty of examples of these invaders exist in our history: Dutch Elm Disease, Emerald ash borer, and White pine blister rust, to name a few. These invaders grow by leaps and bounds, destroy existing plants, and cause billions in damage.
In the last 20 years, an invasive pest called the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) has been discovered in several US cities. Chicago, New York, and central New Jersey have all discovered this new pest, which destroys the trees it lays eggs in. But these infestations were caught early, and contained.
Yet in the city of Worcester, MA, the ALB has apparently been spreading for at least 12 years, only to be discovered in 2008 by a vigilant citizen who called the authorities about a bug she didn't recognize. The ALB has put Worcester's trees at risk, but more ominous is the fact that with one camping trip, the bug could spread deep into the heart of New England's forest canopy.
Worcester is fighting back. They're making the ultimate sacrifice - cutting down over 25,000 trees, to protect trees throughout the northeast. And you can help too, by watching our PSAs, visiting Dontmovefirewood.org, or learning more about this beetle at beetlebusters.info.
