Springfield, Massachusetts – Families walking through Forest Park and visitors using the Connecticut Riverwalk and Bikeway are being urged to act immediately if they spot a destructive invasive beetle capable of killing hardwood trees across western Massachusetts this spring.
According to the U.S. Forest Service and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, 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 leaves begin to thin or branches die back.
Forest Park, one of the largest municipal parks in New England, contains mature maples and other hardwoods that shade trails, playgrounds and picnic areas. Similar tree cover lines the Connecticut River corridor, Five Mile Pond Park and neighborhoods stretching into West Springfield and Longmeadow.
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 common in the Pioneer Valley, creating hazards along park roads and walking paths.
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 Springfield’s urban canopy into summer.
