Eureka, California – Walkers in Sequoia Park and visitors exploring the waterfront trail along Humboldt Bay are being urged to act immediately if they spot a destructive invasive beetle capable of killing hardwood trees across the North Coast this spring.
According to the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 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.
Sequoia Park, the Eureka Waterfront Trail and the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary feature clusters of hardwoods that provide shade, stabilize wetlands and line heavily used walking paths. Similar tree cover stretches through community parks in McKinleyville and along riparian corridors feeding into Humboldt Bay.
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 Pacific wind events common along the coast, creating hazards near trails and park roads.
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 Eureka’s coastal canopy into summer.
