TATE TOWNSHIP, CLERMONT COUNTY, OH (FOX19) - The U.S. Department of agriculture has quarantined Clermont County after the discovery of a infestation of Asian longhorned beetles in Tate Township in eastern Clermont County, according to U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.
The beetles attack a wide variety of broadleaf trees, particularly maples.
The Department of Agriculture says Ohio is the fifth state to detect ALB, which the Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed after a citizen reported finding unusual damage in three maple trees to an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry service forester. Previous infestations sites, where the beetles are being successfully contained, include Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.
APHIS and ODA inspection crews are surveying the area to determine the extent of the ALB infestation. Crews will inspect host tree species susceptible to ALB for signs of the wood-boring beetle using ground surveyors and specially trained tree climbers.
“As international trade with China increases, the Asian longhorned beetle travels in wood crates to our shores and has the potential to devastate trees and cause wide-spread destruction to Ohio’s wooded lands,” Brown said. “By engaging federal, state, and local resources we can prevent this invasive species from spreading and ravaging Ohio’s forests and tree population.”
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