Inspection: The First Line of Defense Against ALB

There's a quiet battle going on in New York City, on Long Island and in Chicago. It's all about the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) versus the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Recently, Asplundh joined forces with the USDA in New York City and on Long Island to serve on the front lines.

Asplundh crews began working for the USDA in August, assisting their inspectors in finding evidence of the pest in the upper portions of targeted trees. In the beginning, inspections were only done from the ground, using binoculars in an attempt to see up into the top of the trees. Asplundh climbers and bucket operators, trained to look for the egg sites or exit holes created by the adult beetle, were able to be the "eyes" of the inspector on the ground.

Last winter, the USDA employed federal smoke jumpers to climb trees to help their inspectors look for the beetles. However, the wildfires in the West this spring and summer called them away. To continue their efforts to control the ALB infestation this summer, the USDA needed help with the upper tree inspections. Asplundh Municipal Services Manager Pete Fengler in Willow Grove responded with a proposal, which was accepted
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Within a few days, Asplundh Supervisor Brian Fuge coordinated six crews for the Long Island inspections and Supervisor Joe Greenwald coordinated three crews from the George Leszkowicz Region for the New York City inspections.

So What Are We Fighting For?

If you read about ALB in the Summer issue of The Asplundh TREE, you know that this pest is a serious threat to trees across North America. A destructive, introduced insect that devours trees from the inside, the beetle leaves very little outward signs of infestation until it's too late. Unfortunately, ALB prefers one of North America's most common trees – maples – but it has been found on horse chestnut, birch, ash, poplar, willow and elm trees, among others.

First discovered in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City in 1996, ALB entered the U.S. as a stowaway in wooden packaging materials on cargo ships from East Asia.

At this time, the only way to eradicate ALB is to remove and destroy the infested tree by chipping or burning. Whole neighborhoods of trees in Brooklyn and Chicago had to be removed due to this pest and on Long Island, more than 1,600 trees have been destroyed over the last four years. Less destructive methods of controlling the beetle are being tested by the USDA right now, but the results are not yet conclusive.

Director Joe Gittleman of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service oversees the ALB inspection and removal project for both Long Island and the New York City boroughs. He has seen firsthand the damage done by this beetle. However, with the constant diligence of the USDA, state authorities and local citizens, he has seen a drop in the beetle population along the south shore of Long Island.

Our lift and climbing crews wrapped up their contract with the USDA at the end of September. The crews should take pleasure in knowing that after inspecting over 6,000 trees, they helped to find 75 infested trees in Brooklyn, Queens and on Long Island.
Asplundh crews have been proud to assist the USDA in this battle. It certainly was a change of pace to be only inspecting trees, and not pruning or removing them!

 

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Retirees Honored

Congratulations and best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement to all the Asplundh retirees listed here!

Joe Alvarez Assistant General Foreman, Florida First employed June 1988 Retired September 2000	Jean Lang Crew Member, New York First employed December 1996 Retired July 2000
Kenneth Bell Meter Reader, Tennessee Utility Meter Services, Inc. First employed March 1994 Retired August 2000	Stanley Liebla Operations Superintendent, Florida Asplundh Construction Corp. First employed September 1997 Retired July 2000
William Brehm Foreman, Wisconsin First employed May 1959 Retired June 2000	Dayton Pennington Foreman, Maryland First employed January 1956 Retired June 2000
Herbert Greer Crew Member, Michigan First employed December 1992 Retired August 2000	Robert Shriver Foreman, Missouri First employed July 1963 Retired September 2000
Buddy Holt Foreman, Ohio First employed May 1986 Retired July 2000	Herb Weikel Project Manager, I.T. Dept. Willow Grove, Pennsylvania First employed August 1965 Retired May 2000
Richard Keyser Crew Member, Washington First employed December 1991 Retired May 2000

In Memorium

Our condolences to the family and friends of:

Jim Stepp, retired general foreman under Manager George Meyer in Oregon. He passed away on July 17 at 56 years of age. Jim had many years of experience in the tree industry and first came to work for Asplundh in 1986. He "retired" in 1998, however, he was called back into service three times since then! Finally, at the end of June, Jim retired for the last time.

As Manager George Meyer recently wrote, "Jim was a good friend to everyone he met and took many people under his wings of care. To Jim, we were all old friends and throughout his life he displayed the qualities of a true Southern Gentleman. Jim was a man of his word, loyal, honest, humble and sincere. He will be missed in our hearts and minds."

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