Local, State Officials to Address Emerald Ash Borer Presence in Jamaica Plain Tuesday

Photo Credit: emeraldashborer.info

Local, state and federal officials plan to hold a public meeting Tuesday night to discuss the recent discovery of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Suffolk County, and what its presence means for urban trees.

The beetle was detected in a trap at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain in July, and is known to kill ash trees within a span of three to five years. More than 20 states have confirmed detection of the beetle, according to officials.

On Tuesday, representatives the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Department of Agricultural Resources, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the USDA’s Forest Service will all be on hand to discuss the implications of the beetle’s presence in the area.

Officials will discuss the establishing of a quarantine that aims to restrict movement of “certain wood products under certain conditions,” according to a post on the Arnold Arboretum website.

The meeting will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23 in the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway in Jamaica Plain.

All are welcome to attend the meeting and those who do will have the chance to participate in a question-and-answer session.

For more information, click here, call 617-626-4974 or email dcr.updates@state.ma.us.