Updated July 7
Asian longhorned beetles—a destructive predator of maples and other tree species—have been detected on the grounds of Faulkner Hospital in Boston, across Centre Street from the 265-acre Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, the Boston Globe reported on July 6. When the beetles were discovered in Worcester, in central Massachusetts, two years ago, 17,000 infested trees had to be cut down, and another 10,000 nearby were felled, according to the Globe account. The six red maples on the Faulkner grounds were removed on the morning of July 6, the newspaper reported; it quoted Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles describing the local discovery as "very localized." Initial responses include an intensive effort to examine thousands of other trees (which have to be climbed and assessed individually), and a protective zone in Boston and Brookline within which firewood and similar material cannot be transported. See the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation news release for details of the regulations in effect in the affected area, extending over a 1.5-mile radius from the site of the infestation.
The Arboretum, the University's horticultural research center, is a treasure trove of specimen tree species. Ironically, the homepage of its website featured a prompt to "Monitor your trees for the Asian Longhorned Beetle," with links to the Massachusetts hotline and eradication program website. On July 7, that was superseded by an Arboretum announcement detailing preventive actions, including regular monitoring of the plant collection begun in February 2009, with a special focus on host species on the perimeter of the grounds. The June 2010 inspection found no beetles within the Arboretum.
This Harvard Magazine feature highlighted some of the Arboretum's best-loved plants.
