Taking to the Treetops in the Hunt for a Devastating Pest

WASHINGTON, June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It is a delicate balancing act. Dangling sometimes 100 feet above the ground, these federal workers are on the front lines in the hunt for an invasive pest that threatens the very trees that provide them with a rooftop view of the world.  

These men and women are tree climbers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Eradication program. Their workspace is unique. It doesn't revolve around a laptop and a cubicle, or a window view of another non-descript building. Searching for signs of a rather small, yet devastating pest while perched high above the ground is a difficult endeavor. It can be even more perilous when coming face to face with other forms of wildlife.

"I've stared into the cavity of a tree with a mama raccoon and two babies staring back at me," said Marvin Enoe, Supervisory Tree Climber with the Ohio ALB Eradication Program. "That's probably my most intimidating encounter with an animal in a tree." Enoe made the wise decision to descend from the tree and tackle it another day.

Tree climbers with the ALB program have a mission that is unlike those who prune or remove branches. "If you're a tree cutter, you have an assigned cut plan, and you go to where you need to make the cut," said Enoe. "As a tree inspector, we're expected to cover 100% of the surface area of the bark that we can get to and visually inspect safely."

Snakes make an occasional appearance, not to mention the daily hazards of ticks and bees. Climbers must always be wary of power lines and dead branches. While other ways of identifying ALB infestations are being examined in the fight against ALB, the tree-by-tree survey approach has proven most successful.

"Time and time again the climbing staff has proven to be the most effective in detecting ALB," said Ryan Vazquez with the Massachusetts ALB Eradication Program. "They really get to see the damage up close, fresh egg sites. There's nothing better than the human eye." 

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) has led to the loss of over 130,000 trees in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Illinois since it was first discovered in the U.S. in 1996, after having arrived here probably inside wood packing material from Asia. The ALB bores through the tissues that carry water and nutrients throughout the tree, which causes the tree to starve, weaken and eventually die. ALB larvae burrow deep into the heartwood of trees, and cannot be reached by insecticide treatments.

The tree climbers are greatly assisted by the public in their hunt for the ALB. Early detection is crucial to limiting the spread of the invasive pest. The ALB Eradication Program receives reports of ALB damage, or sightings of the beetle itself from citizens via their website, www.asianlonghornedbeetle.com.

While August is a peak time of emergence for the ALB, USDA staff surveys trees all year round. Winter weather presents difficulties but the lack of leaves offers a clear view of any damage caused by the beetle.

"For the most part, folks are really supportive," said Vazquez. "Trees are very important to people. No one wants to lose a tree. In the end, they do understand that it's for the greater good of their trees, their neighbor's trees, and ultimately, all of North America."

USDA and its state and local partners successfully eradicated ALB infestations from Illinois in 2008, from New Jersey in 2013, from the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island in 2013 as well as the town of Islip in 2011, and from an area within the City of Boston in 2014.

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SOURCE USDA