I was distressed but not surprised to learn that a Chicago neighborhood has an infestation of the Asian longhorn beetle. This insect, and others from China, have been found in several cities in recent years.
While Chicagoans go about the grim but necessary task of destroying trees in hopes of eradicating the beetle, they should also ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture what it is doing to prevent a repetition of this tragedy.
For 18 months USDA has known that the beetles reach America in wooden packing materials from China. Despite the clear danger, USDA has not proposed regulations to require that importers use the most effective technology to render wood packing material inhospitable to harmful insects.
If the beetle escapes eradication efforts and becomes established in North America, it will cost everyone. Cities and towns across the Midwest and Northeast could face huge bills for removal–perhaps equal to the millions spent to remove dead elms. The USDA has already spent more than $2.8 million since 1996 searching for Asian Longhorn beetles and destroying infested trees.
Of course these figures don’t reflect the emotional toll, reduced property values or the ecological costs to our forests.
