Cleveland, Ohio – Walkers along Edgewater Park and hikers in the Cleveland Metroparks are being urged to act immediately if they spot a destructive invasive beetle capable of killing hardwood trees across Northeast Ohio this spring.
According to the U.S. Forest Service and the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Asian longhorned beetle attacks maple, birch, willow, poplar and elm trees. Officials warn the insect burrows deep into trunks, disrupting nutrient flow and weakening trees long before leaves begin to thin or branches die back.
Edgewater Park, Rocky River Reservation and Euclid Creek Reservation feature mature maples and other hardwoods that shade trails, picnic areas and riverbanks. Similar tree cover stretches through the Cuyahoga Valley corridor and neighborhood parks across Cleveland Heights, Lakewood and Parma.
The beetle is glossy black with bright white spots and long black-and-white banded antennae that extend beyond its body. Visitors may notice perfectly round exit holes in trunks or sawdust-like material collecting at the base of trees.
If infestations spread, weakened limbs could snap during strong spring wind events off Lake Erie, creating hazards along trails, park roads and shoreline access points.
Officials urge residents and park visitors to kill the beetle on sight if safely possible and report sightings immediately to state agriculture authorities. Early detection this season could prevent widespread tree removal and protect Cleveland’s urban canopy into summer.
