Beyond the Beetle, a Strategy of Diversity

The Asian Longhorned Beetle arrived in the United States from China in wooden shipping materials and went undetected for over fifteen years. The adult beetle has no known predators or chemical control agent. The United States Department of Agriculture protocol requires infested trees to be cut, chipped and burned and in 2010, more than 30,000 mature trees were clearcut in Worcester neighborhoods.

The 2011 Founders Fund Award allowed the Worcester Garden Club to plant a demonstration arboretum in historic Green Hill Park, a 480-acre urban oasis. The arboretum highlights the importance incorporating species diversity in landscape design. Examples include of a variety of trees resistant to Asian Longhorned Beetle such as the Kousa Dogwood and the Green Pillar Pin Oak as well as the Japanese Tree Lilac and the Skyline Honey Locust. Educational signage was created to teach visitors about the ALB and offer information on how to choose the right tree for the right place.

Once the Asian Longhorned Beetle infests a tree, there is no cure. Thousands of hardwood trees in the United States have been lost. This award shows what can happen when monoculture planting is targeted by an invasive predator; an entire canopy can be lost. But when species diversity is incorporated into design, the predator may not be able to cause complete destruction.