APHIS Eradicates the Asian Longhorned Beetle from Holden, Massachusetts

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Contact: aphispress@usda.gov 

Removes 12 Square Miles from Quarantine

Effective immediately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in partnership with the State of Massachusetts, is removing the town of Holden, Massachusetts—a 12.3-square-mile area in Worcester County—from the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis; ALB) quarantined area. 

APHIS determined that this area could be removed from quarantine after completing final host tree surveys. With this removal, 97.7 square miles remain under Federal quarantine in Worcester County, including the northern portion of the Town of Auburn and the Towns of Boylston/West Boylston, Shrewsbury, and Worcester.

“This is a huge accomplishment for the Town of Holden. Everyone who lives or works in and around the remaining quarantined area in Massachusetts should continue to look for and report the damage the beetle causes to trees,” said Josie Ryan, APHIS’ National Operations Manager for the Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program. “By looking at your trees and reporting any suspicious tree damage, you can help us find the beetle sooner and eliminate it quicker.”

As a reminder, people who live in an ALB-quarantined area can help by doing the following:

  • Check your trees for the beetle and the damage it causes and report any suspicions.
  • Allow program officials property access to inspect trees and remove any infested trees.
  • Before hiring tree companies, confirm they have an ALB compliance agreement.
  • Contact the program or municipality to learn how to dispose of or move yard waste.
  • Contact the program if you have any tree materials that might have ALB.
  • Buy or gather firewood where you will burn it or use certified heat-treated firewood.

ALB eradication programs are cooperative programs. In Massachusetts, APHIS works with USDA’s Forest Service and Agricultural Research Service and the Massachusetts’ Department of Conservation and Recreation and Department of Agricultural Resources. APHIS appreciates the cooperative relationship with the State of Massachusetts in the effort to prevent the spread of ALB.

For more information about the beetle and program activities, please call the ALB toll-free hotline at 1-866-702-9938 or visit www.aphis.usda.gov/pests-diseases/alb.