BREAKING NEWS: Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Forest Service, TNY now has an ALB Hotline.(If you have questions or problems problems regarding the beetle, please call)1-877-STOP-ALB.

If you live in or near one of the infested areas(Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Bayside, Upper East Side, Lower East Side) CHECK YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD TREES FOR THE TELLTALE SIGNS OF ASIAN LONGHORN BEETLE INFESTATION. IF YOU THINK YOUR TREE IS INFESTED, call the ALB Hotline, 1-877-STOP-ALB
immediately!

The Asian Longhorn Beetle was most recently discovered in Central Park. On Saturday June 24, 2000 beetles were discovered in six of the 34 Norway maple trees in the playground by NYC Parks Department staff. Inspection efforts have been stepped up in lower Manhattan. Read the New York Times article here.

Trees New York is currently working to assist Greenpoint Brooklyn recover from an Asian Longhorn Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) infestation. The beetles, which were discovered last year when holes were found in Greenpoint area tree trunks, spend the majority of their life eating the insides of living trees. They are particularly dangerous to the life of a tree as they will often continue to attack the same trees until the infestation results in the death of the tree.

Unfortunately, because the beetle has no known natural predators or pesticide, the only method of dislodging the beetles and preventing further spread of the infestation is to remove the tree completely, chip it, and then burn it.

More than 800 trees had to be removed from the Greenpoint area last Winter and Spring. This has left a large part of Greenpoint in need of new trees and people to care for them. This is where Trees New York has played a particularly significant role.

During the Spring 1997 planting season, TNY organized the replanting of over 200 trees in Greenpoint. Trees New York worked closely with the community to determine what types of trees should be used to replace the stricken trees. By encouraging hired landscapers and local residents to use proper watering techniques, over 90% of the planted trees survived the summer drought. Those that did not survive were replanted during 1998. In addition, TNY is working to train area residents, both adults and youths, to care for the newly planted trees.

TNY asks that everyone help contain the infestation. The USDA Forest Service has put out the following list of things to look for and has made an official release available to the public (USDA Release):

  Adult beetles have 1 - 1 1/4 inch long bodies with 2 inch long antennae. Their bodies are black with white spots, and their antennae have bands of black and white.

  Large (1/2 inch) round holes on the branches, trunk, or roots are places where the beetles leave the trees.

  Where females chew out a spot to lay their eggs, you may see oval, darkened places in the bark.

  You may find large piles of sawdust around the base of the trees or branches caused by beetles exiting from inside the trees.

If you find any of the above, please contact Trees New York immediately.