Beetle Hunters to Enter Allandale Farms, But Brookline Homes Still Weeks Off

Federal inspectors hunting for signs of the Asian Longhorn Beetle are now working in a swath of woodlot that includes part of Allandale Farm in Brookline, though officials say the inspections won't reach private residences on this side of the town line for several weeks.

Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Department of Agriculture, said inspectors are combing the region, which stretches from Malcolm Road in Jamaica Plain well into Allendale farm, from east to west and may not reach Brookline for up to two weeks.

"There's no streets in there, so we could be surveying in there and not even know we're on the other side of the county line," Hawkins said.

Inspectors have examined more than 8,700 trees since the tree-killing beetle was found in six trees on the grounds of Faulkner Hospital on July 3. In the month since the discovery, no other beetles have turned up.

While inspectors painstakingly examine each tree within a 1.5-mile radius of the hospital for signs of the bugs – a process that could take more than three years – state and municipal officials have established a wood-waste quarantine area that stretches as far north as Route 9 in Brookline in an effort to prevent their spread.

While under quarantine, residents who have their trash picked up by the town will need to separate out any wood debris larger than four inches in length and one inch in diameter so officials can inspect it. Properties owners without town pick-up must drop off large wood debris at designated sites.

In the meantime, inspectors will conduct visual surveys of trees through out the quarantine area while tree climbers examine branches and limbs in the canopy for any signs of infestation. In residential areas, Hawkins said inspectors would attempt to contact homeowners before searching private property.

So far, only six trees have been destroyed since the beetles were discovered early last month. By comparison, an infestation first discovered in Worcester County in 2008 has prompted the destruction of 25,000 trees to date.

For more information about eradication efforts, or to report a beetle sighting, visit the website for the Massachusetts Natural Resources Collaborations.