USDA to go with tree injections only

The United States Department of Agriculture has informed the Worcester legislative delegation that the USDA will use only tree trunk injection to treat Asian Longhorned Beetle host trees in Worcester. Commissioner Scott Soares of the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture informed Chandler of the decision in response to a letter supporting tree trunk injection sent by the delegation including Sen. Harriette Chandler, Rep. Vincent Pedone and Rep. James O’Day. The delegation opposed the use of soil application because of the potential environmental harm it posed to public water sources due to leeching. Soil injection deposits seven times the amount of Imidacloprid, the pesticide used to combat ALB, into the soil than trunk injection puts directly into the tree. Worcester has already lost more than 25,000 trees due to the Asian Longhorned Beetle and an additional 1,400 have been tagged for removal.

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