Tree-Killing
Beetles at R.I.'s Doorstep
Where are the Asian
long-horned beetles? They aren't in Rhode Island yet, but officials are
prepared for their eventual arrival, perhaps from Worcester, Mass., where they
were discovered in a woodpile in 2008. It’s suspected they traveled to the
United States aboard wooden pallets from China as far back as 15 years ago.
New Jersey, Manhattan
and Staten Island have eradicated the tree-killing beetle. The Worcester area
and Clermont County, Ohio, are running quarantine eradication programs. The
Worcester infestation covers 110 square miles, and so far, 33,636 trees have
been cleared, mostly maples, which the beetles prefer. In all, 13 tree
varieties are at-risk.
Eradication involves
cutting, chipping or burning infected trees as well as those within a half-mile
radius of an infestation. High-risk trees that are spared the saw receive
injections of the insecticide imidacloprid, a pesticide associated with bee
colony collapses. The pesticide has not been used during the last two years in
Worcester County. New infestations are still being found in the region.
The arrival of Asian long-horned beetles is nearly inevitable. “We’re just waiting for them to come to Rhode Island,” said Brian Maynard, professor of horticulture at the University of Rhode Island.
Catherine Sparks of
the state Bureau of Natural Resources said Rhode Island is aggressively
preparing for the appearance of the insect and is creating a response strategy.
The state's response
to any plant-pest emergency will be coordinated with federal agencies, Sparks
said. The extermination program includes outreach to the affected community and
the state as a whole. A perimeter, called a delimiting survey, is the first
step to assess the scope of infestation and determine other actions. The state
Division of Agriculture will take the lead with assistance from the Division of
Forestry. "Depending upon the pest that may be discovered, appropriate
regulatory process will kick in," Sparks said.
Officials are also on
high alert for the emerald ash borer. The tiny beetle has encircled Rhode
Island, infesting 19 states and the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The ash
borer were discovered in North America in 2002 in Michigan. They also likely
arrived from Asia in wood cargo packaging. They move east at a rate of about
150 miles per year. The emerald ash borer feeds on all types of ash trees in North
America. Rhode Island’s white and green ash trees are likely hosts.
John Campanini,
technical director at the Rhode Island Tree Council, said the long-horned
beetle would be more devastating for the state than the ash borer, which is
more likely to arrive first. "It's much more mobile. It's sturdier
flyer," he said.
Both insects have
expanded their territories by traveling in firewood. Officials recommend only
buying local firewood.
Here is a
helpful website about the Asian long-horned beetle. More information about
the emerald ash borer can be found here.
Acorns. Squirrels are fat and happy this year thanks
to oak trees yielding a bumper crop of acorns.
The smorgasbord isn’t
likely to last long, however. The abundance of falling acorns is cyclical. Lots
of acorns please squirrels, chipmunks, deer, birds and bears, but oak trees
keep these populations in check by releasing fewer acorns in alternating years,
a process called biannual mast production.
“So, it’s not that
unusual they are just producing every other year,” Maynard said. “It’s really
nature at its finest.”
Acorns, by the way,
are generally too toxic for people to eat. It’s farmers lore that a big acorn
crop indicates a harsh winter.