New Hamphire peeks over the Mass. border and prepares for Asian longhorned beetle threat; NH

A tiny beetle carries a big threat - EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA: "A tiny beetle carries a big threat
Campaign aims to raise awareness of Asian longhorned beetle

By Jo-Anne MacKenzie
jmackenzie@eagletribune.com
They're the smallest of unwelcome aliens, about 3/4 to 11/4 inches long. There's no border patrol to screen them for entry, but federal and state officials are doing their best to keep them out of virgin territory.
The Asian longhorned beetle, known in forestry circles as ALB, is among the scariest of woodland pests, threatening to decimate hardwood forests from coast to coast. Some 23 species of trees are susceptible to the boring beetle, with maples high on that list.
New Hampshire forestry officials are well aware of what havoc the beetle could wreak on the state's hardwood forests. They don't have to look far.
Some 66 square miles around Worcester, Mass., are under quarantine after an ALB infestation was discovered in that city in August 2008. The quarantine area also includes Boylston, West Boylston, Holden and Shrewsbury.

Worcester Tree Initiative helps town recover from UTC losses from exotic pest; Worcester, MA; 4/24/09

Replanting with a plan Worcester Telegram - Worcester,MA,USA
That’s all it takes to successfully plant a tree, right?
Actually, it’s a bit more complicated than that, and experts are urging Worcester residents to plant carefully as they begin restoring trees to neighborhoods where about 20,000 trees have been cut down in recent months to fight the Asian longhorned beetle.
To get things started on the right foot, the nonprofit Worcester Tree Initiative is kicking off its privately funded tree-planting campaign from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow with a festival at Burncoat High School, 179 Burncoat St. Volunteers will plant 150 trees in the neighborhood, and the group will give away 150 trees to individuals who register and complete a 20-minute workshop on tree planting. Transportation company CSX Corp. is donating all the trees, and once all the trees are distributed, the initiative will give residents vouchers that can be redeemed for trees.

City reforesation planned in response to beetle infestation; Worcester, MA; 1/30/09

http://telegram.com/article/20090130/NEWS/901300631/1116
Yesterday’s launch of the Worcester Tree Campaign was a standing-room-only event in Harrington Center at Quinsigamond Community College full of those interested to know what they could do to make Worcester, Shrewsbury, Holden, West Boylston and Boylston even better than before the Asian longhorned beetle infestation.

Worcester, MA; 1/14/09

It’s our turn to keep Worcester green with tree-planting plan Worcester Telegram - Worcester,MA,USA Long before we ever heard of the Asian longhorned beetle, public trees all across Worcester were in crisis. Herwitz’s research found that over the past 30 to 40 years, Worcester lost nearly half of its publicly owned trees, and the decline was accelerating. Can you imagine this community without tree-lined streets, small neighborhood parks, or large wooded public spaces like Elm Park, Green Hill Park, Nick’s Woods or Broad Meadow Brook? Neither can we. But that’s what we face if we sit back and do nothing. If there is a glimmer of a silver lining to the beetle infestation, it is a renewed focus on the plight of our urban forest. Now, it’s up to all of us to plant the seeds that will blossom in future generations, so that our children and grandchildren will live in a place filled with healthy trees and all the benefits they provide.

Worcester, MA; 1/12/09

Groups to help replace trees Worcester Telegram - Worcester,MA,USA Even before the beetle eradication program began last year, Mr. Murray said, the city was experiencing heavy losses in the tree canopy that has accented ...