New Jersey county declared free of beetle

Hudson County, N.J. officially eradicated the Asian longhorn beetle (ALB), according to the state agriculture department. ALB was first discovered in Jersey City in 2002. Surveys found 113 infested trees in the city’s Newport section, and the county was quarantined. The 113 infested trees and 348 at-risk host trees were removed, many of which were on the property of the Lefrak Organization, a major developer in the area. Some 433 trees were replaced through a $477,228 grant from the U.S. Forest Service. The state is using the Hudson County model for use in other counties.

{sidebar id=2}

For more: New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry, (609) 292-5441; www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/pi/prog/asianlonghornbeetle.html.

June 2008