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It's a new day in JP: State declares neighborhood free of tree-killing beetles

State and federal officials gathered at the Arnold Arboretum this morning to declare Jamaica Plain and parts of neighboring Roslindale free of the Asian Longhorned Beetle.

In practical terms, the declaration means residents in the quarantine zone no longer have to do anything special with any tree limbs or trees they chop down.

The discovery of the bugs in a tree on the grounds of Faulkner Hospital - right across the street from the Arnold Arboretum - sparked a yard-by-yard manhunt for the telltale holes in trunks left behind by the bugs.

Ultimately, experts looked at 150,000 trees - and removed six that showed evidence of beetle boring, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation says. A final survey of local trees was done in March.

According to DCR, the announcement marks only the sixth time an Asian Longhorned Beetle infestation has been declared eradicated in the U.S.

A quarantine zone remains in effect in Worcester and nearby communities.

The arboretum continues to battle another pest, the wooly adelgid, that munches on the hemlock trees found on the arboretum's Hemlock Hill.

Meanwhile, state entomologists and arborists have a wary eye pointed at Essex County, where they hope to contain an infestation of emerald ash borers

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Comments

The Earth Day Parade that scared them away!

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Nah. Like everyone else in JP, they got priced out.

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I thought it would be nigh impossible to actually eradicate the little buggers, but I guess they caught it soon enough. Congratulations, and thanks for saving the trees!

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This is a significant achievement. Well done.

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