Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the expansion of New York City's tree vaccination program against infestation by the Asian Longhorned beetle and the implementation of a new acoustical detection program. Representatives from the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the USDA's Forest Service joined Mayor Bloomberg and Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe at the announcement in Central Park.

"During the winter, we discovered that the Asian Longhorned beetle had attacked the magnificent trees of Central Park, and we promised to fight the insect vigorously and effectively," Mayor Bloomberg said. "Today we are launching a Citywide assault against this vicious insect that will help prevent further infestation of our trees and protect these most valuable natural resources. New Yorkers should rest assured that the City is pursuing all measures to ensure that its trees continue flourishing and enhancing our urban environment."

"Today we continue our battle against the Asian Longhorned beetle," Commissioner Benepe said. "Working in partnership with the USDA and the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets we will protect 80,000 of New York City's hardwood trees. These efforts will help to preserve our urban forest - and the forests of the northeast - from devastation by this insect invader."

Since the discovery of infestation in Central Park, the Parks Department and the USDA have inspected the Park's hardwood trees for traces of the beetle. In an effort to prevent further infestation, the Parks Department, the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, and APHIS are injecting imidacloprid, considered the most effective insecticide available, into trees found in New York City. The City, state, and federal initiative expands the vaccination program, which began last spring, from 10,000 trees covering 9.5 square miles to over 80,000 trees spanning 30.4 square miles. The treatment targets all healthy, uninfested host trees within approximately one quarter of a mile of all known infested locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, and, for the first time, all host trees in Central Park south of the 65th Street Transverse Road. In addition, the City and the Forest Service will begin using a brand new technology that enables them to discover beetles in trees and wooden packing materials before observation by the human eye.

The new method of detection, known as acoustical detection, entails attaching a device to the tree that identifies the presence of beetles by tracking the sound of larvae chewing wood within the tree. Early and accurate diagnosis of infested trees is believed to help prevent the spread of the beetle.

Since 1996, the City has removed 4,623 infested trees on public and private property in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, and replaced them with over 3,500 new trees. The Asian Longhorned beetle was first found in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn in August 1996. Subsequent infestations occurred in Bayside and Flushing in early 1999; on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in the summer of 1999; on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the summer of 2000; and in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Midtown Manhattan in 2001. The Asian Longhorned beetle is about ¾ to 1¼ inches in length, is black and shiny, and bears white spots and long antennae. The beetles attack many different hardwood trees, including maple, birch, horsechestnut, poplar, willow, elm, and ash. All infected trees are cut down, chipped, and burned, a standard practice for trees invaded by the Asian Longhorned beetle.