A wide variety of organisms are unin-tentionally transported from coun-try to country each year, primarily

as a result of world trade. Practically allclasses of plants and animals can bestowaways. Aquatic organisms travel inthe ballast water of ships; land organ-isms move with the cargo. Some organ-isms hitch rides inside the cargo, whileothers travel on or inside the crating,pallets, or other shipping materials.

Some 4,500 exotic organisms arenow established in the United States(US Congress 1993), and of thesemore than 400 are insects that feed ontrees and shrubs (Haack and Byler1993; Mattson et al. 1994; Liebhold etal. 1995; Niemela and Mattson 1996).Although most tree-feeding exoticscause little apparent damage each year,some have greatly altered major forestecosystems in the United States: con-sider the gypsy moth, the smaller Eu-ropean elm bark beetle, the hemlockwoolly adelgid, and the beech scale.Some exotic insects reach pest statusbecause they arrive without their nor-mal suite of natural enemies or becausetheir new host plants lack evolved n~t-ural defenses.

One of the latest stowaways to enterthe United States is the Asian long-horned beetle, Anoplophora glabripen-nis, which was discovered in 1996(Haack et al. 1996; Haack and Mastro1997; USDA-FS 1997). On August 19,1996, a Brooklyn resident notified theNew York City Department of Parksand Recreation that all the Norwaymaple (Acer platanoides) trees lining thestreet in front of his house were riddledwith large holes; he also reported seeingseveral large black-and-white beetles.The next day a New York City forestersent one of the beetles to Cornell Uni-versity for identification. Additional

speCImens weresoon collected

~ and their iden-

tity was confirmed. The USDAAnimal and Plant Health Inspec- :tion Service (APHIS) was noti- ~fled in early September 1996. :

In mid-September APHIS "

sent a team to the Greenpoint area inBrooklyn to determine the (extent ofthe infestation. In October APHIS se-lected a multiagency project manage-ment team to survey for and containthe beetle. A science advisory panel,meanwhile, was charged with gather-ing all scientific knowledge about thebeetle, evaluating the consequences ofits establishment and potential spread,recommending survey and controlmethods, and identifying researchneeds that supported the control pro-gram. The USDA Forest Service, at therequest of APHIS, conducted a risk as-sessment of the Asian long-hornedbeetle (Kucera 1996) and concludedthat the overall risk to the UnitedStates was high.

By Robert A. Haack, Kenneth R.Law, Victor C. Mastro,H.

Sharon Ossenbruggen, and

Bernard J. Raimo

Range and Life CycleAnoplophora glabripennis is found

primarily in China but may occur inother parts of Asia (Peng and Liu1992). In China it is considered amajor pest throughout a widerange-21 oN to 43°N latitude (Yan1985), a band that in North Americaspans from southern Mexico to theGreat Lakes. In Asia the primary hosttrees of Anoplophora glabripennis in-clude species of maple (Acer), poplar(Populus), and willow (Salix). In fact,boxelder (Acer negundo) and sugarmaple (Acer saccharum) are planted astrap trees in parts of China to protectmore valuable hardwood trees (Sun etal. 1990; He and Huang 1993).Other occasional host trees in Asia in-clude chinaberry (Melia), mulberry(Morus), plum (Prunus), pear (Pyrus),black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia),and elm (Ulmus) (Qin et al. 1985;Sun et al. 1990; Gao et al. 1993; He

The Brooklyn resident who found the~ exotic beetles in August 1996 first~ thought that the holes in the maples~ on his street were the work of vandals

~ with huge drills.

Reprinted from the Journal of Forestry; Vol. 95, No. 12, December 1997.Not for fur1her reproduction. Journal of Forestry

Figure I. Brooklyn and Ami-

tyville, sites of the original

Anoplophora glabripennis in-festations on long Island, New

York. Because of its limited dis-

tribution but high potential

threat to North American hard-

wood forests, state and federal

officials imposed a quarantine

on the infested areas in 1996

and initiated an aggressive

eradication program in 1997.

high or if infestation continues for sev-eral years. Before a tree dies, however,heavily mined branches and stemscommonly break, especially duringstrong winds (Qin et al. 1985; Yan1985; Gao et al. 1993; Haack andMastro 1997). Larval feeding tunnelsalso reduce the quality of lumber, ve-neer, and wood fiber. In North Amer-ica, the Asian long-horned beetle'spreference for maple trees was consid-ered a real threat to the Northeast'smaple sugar industry, lumber industry,homeowner property values, andtourism (Kucera 1996).

In New York everything fromnewly planted street trees totrees larger than 1.8 meters in diameterwere infested (table 1). Adults typicallylay eggs first in the upper trunk andalong major branches where the barktends to be smooth. Small branches, 3to 4 cm in diameter, can be attacked. Asthe tree crown begins to die, adults layeggs along the entire trunk and even onexposed roots.

Although adult beetles can causetwig mortality during their maturationfeeding, larvae cause most of the dam-age as they tunnel through branchesand boles. Individual branches or en-tire trees can die if larval densities are

Spread and ContainmentAfter the initial discovery in Au-

gust 1996, survey teams began tofocus on areas where the beetle could

~ have been moved accidentally by ar-borists and firewood dealers whowork in the Brooklyn area. This ap-proach led to the discovery ofa sec-ond infestation in September 1996near Amityville, New York, about 50

km east (fig. 1). TheBrooklyn beetles proba-bly came from Asia oninfested wooden packingmaterials entering some-time in the 1980s orearly 1990s. In contrast,the Amityville infesta-tion may have originated

in the transport of infested tree sec-tions from Brooklyn to Amityvillefor final disposal or sale as firewood.As of October 31, 1997, a total of1,559 infested trees had been de-tected: 963 trees in Brooklyn and

After hatching in

the cambium, lar-

vae of Anoplophora

glabr;penn;s chew their way into the

sapwood and heartwood, tunnelingas much as 30 cm before pupating and

exiting as adults. If it doesn't kill the

tree outright, such damage exposes

large limbs to breakage.

and Huang 1993; Kucera 1996).In New York the beetle has attacked

primarily species of maple, includingNorway maple, sugar maple, silvermaple (Acer saccharinum), sycamoremaple (Acer pseudo platanus), and box-elder. Also in New York, this beetle hascompleted development on one ormore species of birch (Betula), poplar,willow, horsechestnut (Aesculus hip-pocastanum), and elm.

Adult beetles are capable of flyingseveral hundred meters in a singleflight episode and, because they livemore than 40 days, can cover consider-able distances to find suitable hosttrees. Newly emerged adults first feedon the bark of twigs and then mate onthe trunks and branches. It is possiblethat adult females produce a sex attrac-tant, .or pheromone; however, nopheromones have yet been identified(He and Huang 1993). For egg-laying,the female chews through the bark tothe cambial region, then turns andusually lays one egg, 5-7 mm longMost females lily about 25 to 40 eggsin their lifetime. In New York, adultlong-horned beetles were seen layingeggs from July to early November.

Eggs usually hatch inone to two weeks. Thelarvae first feed in thecambial region and laterenter the wood, tunnel-ing upward for 10 to 30cm through both sap-wood and heartwood.Full-grown larvae reach I50 mm in length. The Ilarvae transform to Ipupae and then to adults Iinside the larval galleries,usually in summer. Thenew adults exit through6- to 18-mm holes thatthey chew through thebark. Adults, 20 to 35 mm long, areshiny coal black, with white dots. Theantennae, which are longer than thebody, are banded black and white.

The Asian long-horned beetle at-tacks healthy trees, stressed trees, andrecently cut logs (Peng and Liu 1992;Gao et al. 1993; He and Huang 1993).Both young and old trees are attacked.

12 December 1997

homeowners had to be persuaded toallow tree removal crews to enter theirhomes not only to cut the trees butalso to carry out the cut branches andtrunks. Community cooperation wasgenerally excellent, though problemswith absentee homeowners and liabil-ity concerns had to be addressed.

596 in Amityville, more than 80 per-cent of them maples.

Since September 1996, city, state,and federal inspectors have been con-ducting street-by-street surveys for theAsian long-horned beetle, looking forcharacteristic beetle damage-exitholes, oviposition pits and associatedbark staining, and extruded frass. InBrooklyn alone an estimated 500,000trees grow along streets and in parks,and an additional 100,000 are in pri-vate yards (Kucera 1996). More thanone third of these trees are potentialhosts of Anoplophora glabripennis. InDecember 1996, New York State quar-antined the two infested areas of LongIsland, restricting the movement of po-tential host material, including fire-wood. A similar federal quarantine wasimposed by APHIS in March 1997.

Because of the potential long-termecological and economic damage, thescience advisory panel recommendedthat the infestations be eradicated. Thepanel also concluded that the onlypractical way to eradicate the beetlewas to locate, cut, and chip all infestedtrees. Other control options were con-sidered, including systemic insecti-cides. However, because of the lengthyegg-laying period, the larval feedinghabits deep within the tree, and lackof any significant biological controlagents, tree removal was chosen as thebest strategy. Tree removal began inFebruary 1997, and as of late October1997, 1,450 infested trees had beencut, chipped, and burned.

Restoration ActivitiesCoordination of all the restoration

activities continues ~o be challenging.Federal, state, and community officialsare involved, as well as civic and envi-ronmental groups and individual pri-vate citizens. A community committeewas established in Brooklyn to planrestoration activities, to involve "green-ing" partners, and to educate the pub-lic. Handouts describing the beetle, treecare, and urban forestry were developedin several languages. Several educationalactivities were conducted in Brooklyn,including establishing an informationaldisplay at the local library and holding acontest for schoolchildren to enter let-ters, poems, and pictures that illustratedtheir concern for the lost trees.

At a more regional level, dozens ofpresentations were made and thou-sands of beetle fact sheets (USDA-FS1997) were distributed to professionalsthroughout the Northeast, includingarborists, landscapers, nursery man-agers, foresters, garden clubs, and ex-tension specialists. In addition, several

action was made more urgent whenwindstorms caused many infestedbranches to break and fall.

Local residents and community lead-ers had to be assured that tree removalwould be followed by tree replacement.Educational efforts helped garner sup-port for the eradication and replantingprograms. The Asian long-horned bee-tle was covered by local television,radio, and newspapers. Public meetingswere held to inform local residentsabout the problem, listen to their con-cerns, and discuss control options. Be-cause of the ethnic diversity of the in-fested areas, information was publishedin English, Italian, Polish, Russian, andSpanish. Workshops for local teacherswere held, and the teachers in turn helddiscussions with students.

Once the eradication effort wasapproved, tree removal contracts had tobe awarded. The agreed-on paymentschedule stipulated uniform prices foreach 6-inch-diameter class for trees upto 4 feet dbh, above which the cost wasnegotiated on an individual tree basis.The set payment covered the costs oftree felling, stump grinding, chipping,cleanup, and burning.

Overall, the tree removal wentsmoothly, in large part because of thewell-coordinated efforts of several city,state, and federal agencies. Aerial pho-tos revealed many trees growing in en-closed courtyards in Brooklyn, and

Public Outcry and SupportBefore starting the eradication pro-

gram, however, it was necessary to ob-tain the support of local officials, envi-ronmental groups, and private citizens.Members of the project managementteam met with the local communityboard, city officials, and residents.Questions raised during these discus-sions were referred to the science advi-sory panel. New York State officialsalso received numerous phone callsfrom officials in neighboring states aswell as professional associations repre-senting maple syrup, lumber, andtourism interests. The need for quick

Journal of Forestry 13

cans live in towns and cities.

These people are a critical sup-

port base for conservation in

America, and they very clearly

understand how human impacts

on the land affect environmental

services, such as clean air and

I grew up in the woods of Wis-

consin, 20 miles from a town of1,500 people, and urban forestry

did not come naturally to me.Where I come from, we had twocareer choices: we could brave

the mosquitoes, gnats, and no-see-ums and work as loggers, orwe could become fishing guides.I chose the latter. in such concentration has caused

So I remember very clearly erosion and sedimentation prob-

when I first truly understood the lems, polluted runoff and flood-

importance of urban forests to ing, loss of open space and wet-people. I was visiting Greenpoint, This infrared aerial photograph of McCarren Park in lands, loss of fish and wildlifeNew York, whose urban forest the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn was taken in habitats, and elevated air temper-had been devastated by an out- September 1996, before more than 120 infested atures in developed areas. Equallybreak of the Asian long-horned trees were removed from the park. important, increased urbaniza-beetle. I was there to explain that tion disconnects people from the

even though we were going to remove many of the trees that land that sustains them, with profound social, economic, andlined the streets and shaded the yards, the Forest Service was ecological effects.

committed to regreening Greenpoint. After a community These are complicated issues, but quite often their an-meeting, an elderly woman took my arm and walked me out- swer can be as simple as planting a tree. As I learned atside. She pointed down the street, where trees were sched- Greenpoint, trees not only yield environmental and social

uled for removal, and with tears explained,"This is my street. benefits, they also affirm our optimism for the future. TheI appreciate your help, but how can you possibly replace the Forest Service must be a leader in promoting urban forestry

tree I planted the day I learned my son was killed in Vietnam?" and conservation.So today, when people ask me why as chief of the Forest

Service I emphasize the importance of urban forest stew-ardship,l tell them about Greenpoint.

For most Americans, urban conservation and stewardshipare conservation and stewardship. Eighty percent of Ameri-

From Mike Dombeck's remarks to the Eighth Urban Forestry

Conference, Atlanta, September /8, /997. Mike Dombeck (e-mail: dombeckmike/wo@fs.fed.us) is chie~ USDA Forest Service,PO Box 96090, Washington, DC 20090-6090.

and New Jersey. If researchers isolate apheromone for Anoplophora glabripen-nis, that compound will be added totraps and used in New York for delimit-ing surveys and as a check on the eradi-cation program. Such pheromone trapswould also be used throughout theUnited States at ports of entry and atother locations where infested cargomay unintentionally be shipped.

During the first round of tree sur-veys, which ended in early June 1997,inspectors located 1,215 infested trees.From June through October 1997, an-other 344 infested trees were found.Undoubtedly, more infested trees willbe identified, especially those that areonly lightly infested. Nevertheless,given the intensive surveys nowplanned for the next several years, theeradication program may somedaysoon be complete.

Although the Asian long-horned bee-

volunteers in Brooklyn, and all plant-ing efforts will be recorded using a geo-graphic information system.

The eradication program, encom-passing both tree removal and restora-tion, was paid for with public funds.APHIS, New York State, and New YorkCity have paid more than $800,000 to-ward tree removal costs. In addition,more than $2,800,000 was pledged bythe USDA Forest Service, New YorkState, and New York City for treerestoration and educational activities.

The OutlookIntensive surveys are planned for five

years after the last infested tree is foundin the Amityville and Brooklyn areas. Inaddition, in 1997 and 1998 systematicbut less intensive surveys will be con-ducted throughout Long Island, Man-hattan Island, and surrounding por-tions of New York State, Connecticut,

Internet Web sites were created to pro-vide up-to-date information.

Replanting the affected areas beganin spring 1997, using tree species thatare not known hosts of the Asian long-horned beetle: London plane tree (Pla-tanus acerifolia), honeylocust (Gleditsia

triacanthos), sweetgum (Liquidambarstyraciflua), tuliptree (Liriodendrontulipifera), oak (Quercus), linden(Tilia), and dawn redwood (Metase-quoia gtyptostroboides). In Brooklyn thecommunity committee, with inputfrom the City of New York and theUSDA Forest Service, developed arestoration plan that guides the re-greening efforts for the next three years.Updated planting specifications will beused to enhance tree survival. Severalresidents received special training intree care, and they will help maintainthe newly planted trees. In addition, astreet tree survey is being conducted by

December

ports of entry from 1985 through1996, APHIS intercepted insects onvarious wood products on nearly 5,900occasions. Most of these interceptionswere associated with crating (49 per-cent), dunnage (36 percent), and pal-lets (6 percent). Since 1985, there hasbeen a steady increase in the number ofinsect interceptions on wood productsfrom China at US ports, likely reflect-ing the growing volume of Chineseimports (table 2). The volume of com-modities imported annually fromChina with associated wood crating orpallets is estimated to be in the mil-lions of shipments.

Because of the many exotic pestsassociated with unprocessed wood pack-ing materials used in international trade,such material should perhaps be prohib-ited or at least be chemically treated,kiln dried, or somehow processed torender it unsuitable for insects. Intro-ductions of new pests are likely to con-tinue until the movement of un-processed wood is dramatically reduced.

If exotic pests are detected relativelyearly, aggressive eradication programscan prevent large-scale infestations.Only through rigorous inspections,regulations, surveys, and managementcan the risk these exotics pose be min-imized. If we are not prepared to ex-pend the effort to safeguard our econ-omy and ecosystems, North Americawill be poorer in terms of resources andbiological diversity. Short-term savingsgained by allowing unprocessed woodin the form of packing and dunnage toenter North America will in the longterm cost significantly more for controland restoration. B

tIe infestation in New York appearsunder control, there remains a realthreat that this beetle could enter else-where in the country. Before August1996 there were only two other reportedinterceptions of Anoplophora glabripen-nis in North America: one on crating inLoudenville, Ohio, in 1992, and one ondunnage (wood braces) in Vancouver,British Columbia, in 1992. In bothcases the infested wood was associatedwith products from China. Surveys atthese two interception sites in 1996 and1997 found no evidence that the Asianlong-horned beetle was established.

In the year since the discovery ofAnoplophora glabripennis in August1996, five additional interceptions havebeen made at US ports. Three shipmentsarrived in California, one in WashingtonState, and one in South Carolina; all fivewere from China, one involving infestedcrating and four involving infested pal-lets. The infested crating, which arrivedin California in May 1997, was not rec-ognized as infested until June. By then,portions of the original shipment hadbeen sent to Colorado, Illinois, Michi-gan, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico,Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. State andfederal plant health officers trackeddown each shipment and have at-tempted to find, inspect, and destroy allthe crating material.

The expansion of world trade isdramatically escalating the risk of in-troducing new exotic pests. At US

pine shoot beetle regulatory review: Proceedings,63-68. Riverdale, MD: USDA Animal andPlanr Health Inspection Service.

HE, P., and J.F. HUANG. 1993. Adult be1tavior ofAnoplophora glabripennis. Acta Entomologia

Sinica36:51-55.KUCERA, D. 1996. Risk assessment-Asian long-

horned beetle (ALB). Washington, DC: USDAForest Service, State and Ptivate Forestry.

LIEBHOLD, A.M., W.L. MAcDoNALD, D.BERGDAHL, and V.C. MAsTRO. 1995. Invasionby exotic forest pests: A threat to forest ecosys-tems. Forest Science Monograph 41: 1-49.

MATTSON, WJ., E NIEMElA, I. MILLERS, and Y. IN-GUANZO. 1994. Immigrant phytophagous imectson woody plants in the United States and Canada:An annotated list. General Technical Report NC-169. St. Paul, MN: USDA Forest Service, NorthCentral Forest Experiment Station.

NIEMElA, E, and WJ. MATTSON. 1996. Invasion ofNorth American forests by European phy-tophagous insects. BioScience46:741-53.

PENG,J.., and Y. LIU. 1992. Iconography offorest in-sects in Hunan, China. Changsha, China:Hunan Forestry Department, Institute of Zool-ogy, Academia Sinica.

QIN, XX., R.T. GAO,J.Z. LI, W.Q. HAo, and K.J.LIU. 1985. A preliminary inv~stigation on theresistance of different clones of poplars toAnoplophora glabripennis (Motsch.). Scientia Sil-

vae Sinicae 21:310-14.SUN, J.Z., Z.Y. ZHAO, T.Q. Ru, Z.G. QIAN, and

X.J. SONG. 1990. Control of Anoplophoraglabripennis by using cultural methods. ForestPest and Disease 2:10-12.

US CONGRESS. 1993. Harmful non-indigenousspecies in the United States. OTA-F-565. Wash-ington, DC: US Congress, Office of TechnologyAssessment.

USDA FOREST SERVICE (USDA-FS). 1997. Asiancerambycid beetle: A new introduction. Pest AlertNA-PR-01-97. Durham, NH: USDA ForestService, Northeastern Area.

YAN, J.J. 1985. Research on disrtibution of basi-costa whitespotted longicorn in east China.Journal of the North-Eastern Forestry College,China 13:62-69.

Robert A. Haack (e-mail: haack@pilot.msu.edu) is research entomologist, USDAForest Service, North Central Forest Ex-periment Station, 1407 S. HarrisonRoad, Michigan State University, EastLaming, MI48823; Kenneth R. Law isan inspector with Plant Protection andQuarantine, USDA APHIS, Newburgh,New York; Victor C. Mastro is researchentomologist, USDA APHIS, OtisMethods Development Cente1; OtisANGB, Massachusetts; H. Sharon Os-senbruggen is urban forester and BernardJ. Raimo is entomologist, USDA ForestService, Northeastern Area State and Pri-vate Forestry, Durham, New Hampshire.

Literature CitedGAO, R., X. QIN, D. CHEN, and w: CHEN. 1993.

A study on the damage to poplar caused byAnoplophora glabrip~nnis. For~st R~s~arch

6:189-93.HAACK, R.A., andJ.W. BYLER. 1993. Insects and

pathogens: Regulators of forest ecosystems. Jour-nal of Forestry 91(9):32-37.

HAACK, R.A., J.F. CAVEy, E.R. HOEBEKE, and K.LAw. 1996. Anoplophora glabrip~nnis: A newtree-infesting exotic cerambycid invades NewYork. N~ws/ett~r of th~ Michigan Entomological

Soci~ty41(2-3):1-3.HAACK, R.A., and V.C. MASTRO. 1997. The Asian

longhorned beetle, Anop/ophora glabripennis, in-vades New York. In 1997 Japan~s~ b~et/e and th~

15Journal of Forestry

Table 2. Growth of US importsand insect interceptions onwood products from China.

Percent of totalUS importsfrom China

Percent oftotal insect

interceptions

1.2%1.20.71.50.61.20.64.47.38.3

11.221.2

198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996

1.1%1.31.61.92.53.13.94.85.45.86.16.4