Portland, Maine – Walkers circling Back Cove and families gathering along the Eastern Promenade are being urged to act immediately if they spot a destructive invasive beetle capable of killing hardwood trees across southern Maine this spring.
According to the U.S. Forest Service and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, the Asian longhorned beetle attacks maple, birch, willow, poplar and elm trees. Officials warn the insect burrows deep into trunks, cutting off nutrients and weakening trees long before visible dieback appears.
The Eastern Promenade, Deering Oaks Park and the Fore River Sanctuary feature mature maples and other hardwoods that shade trails, playgrounds and shoreline paths overlooking Casco Bay. Similar tree cover stretches into South Portland’s Mill Creek Park and along wooded corridors feeding into Back Cove.
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 the Gulf of Maine, creating hazards along park roads and waterfront trails.
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 Portland’s coastal canopy into summer.
