Our Endangered Trees: Asian Longhorned Beetle, Spotted Lanternfly, and Emerald Ash Borer
Published on March 17, 2019 by Eileen Samberg
On Thursday April 4, 2019, the Southborough Open Land Foundation sponsor4d a presentation by Joshua Bruckner on Invasive Insects Threatening Massachusetts Trees. The talk focused on the Asian Longhorned Beetle, the Spotted Lanternfly, and the Emerald Ash Borer, The Asian Longhorned Beetle is responsible for the destruction of over 36,000 trees in Worcester over the last 10 years and poses a continuing threat to trees of our area. The Spotted Lanternfly, a sap-feeding invasive insect from Asia, poses a threat to 70 different plants and crops, including apples, grapes, and hops.
The Emerald Ash Borer is an emerging threat to the ash trees of New England. The presentation covered what is being done to combat these invasives, how to identify the insects and their damage, and how to report any sightings.
Joshua Bruckner is the Asian Longhorned Beetle outreach coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. He works to spread information and awareness about the Asian Longhorned Beetle and other invasive insects in Massachusetts. He has a masters and bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Clark University.