With the recent discovery of the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) in Boston, city officials are weighing options to figure out the best and most cost effective way to rid the city of the invasive pest.
Arborjet Methodology
Arborjet, a Massachusetts based company, has spent 5 years re-engineering a fifty year old tree-injection technology to make it suitable for 21st century environmental regulations. While most insecticides are generally sprayed on trees or applied to the soil, the Arborjet system can be compared to an inoculation device for trees. Medicament is injected directly into the vascular system of a tree and flows throughout its branches and leaves. The medicament is sealed into the tree through the use of an Arborplug, which limits impact on the environment.
Arborjet Recognized in the Mid-West
Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain - Image from brighamandwomens.org
Arborjet’s technology has quickly made a name for itself treating trees in cities like Cleveland, Chicago, and Milwaukee for Emerald Ash Borer. Arborjet technology treats trees in Worcester and now may show up in Boston since the Asian longhorned beetle was discovered on the grounds of Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain. The hospital and surrounding area, which is in extreme close proximity to the world-renowned Arnold Arboretum, is in the process of be surveyed by the USDA. The 10-square-mile area around Faulkner is home to around 100,000 hard woods vulnerable to ALB damage.
Save Trees While There’s Still Time
Chief Operating Officer of Arborjet, Russ Davis, hopes if needed, Arborjet can help — before it’s too late.
Upon injection, “The insecticide stays in the outer rings, which is where the tree brings its water and nutrition from the ground,” Davis explains. “Once the beetle has entered the tree, it can tunnel into the center of the tree, where it won’t be in the area that the medicament occupies. The medicament needs to be there before the beetle attacks the tree.”
Read the Full Story by Peter Howe of NECN
“Arborjet’s precision weapon against invasive beetles”
Original Date of Publish: July 13, 2010
Related Articles:
Asian Longhorned Beetle Found in Boston
Trees Injected in Efforts to Stop Beetles
Arborjet Helps the USDA fight the Asian Longhorned Beetle
