To:                   State and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials

Effective immediately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in cooperation with the South Carolina Clemson University’s Department of Plant Industry, is placing 58.6 square miles under quarantine for Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). APHIS is taking this action in response to the June 4, 2020, confirmation of ALB at a residence in Hollywood, Charleston County, South Carolina, and subsequent tree surveys confirming ALB-infested trees in and near Hollywood.

The attached Federal Order describes the regulated area and includes the associated reference to 7 Code of Federal Regulations 301.51 et seq. that lists the provisions for the movement of ALB-regulated articles. This action is necessary to prevent the human-assisted spread of ALB.

ALB is a destructive wood-boring pest that threatens 12 species of hardwood trees in North America. ALB was first discovered in the United States in New York in August 1996. ALB was later detected in areas of Illinois (1998), New Jersey (2002, 2004), Massachusetts (2008, 2010), Ohio (2011), and South Carolina (2020). After the completion of control and regulatory activities and following confirmation surveys, APHIS declared ALB eradicated from Illinois (2008); Hudson County, New Jersey (2008); Islip, New York (2011); Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey (2013); Manhattan and Staten Island, New York (2013); Suffolk and Norfolk Counties, Massachusetts (2014); Batavia, Monroe, and Stonelick Townships in Ohio (2018); and Brooklyn and Queens, New York (2019). Program activities continue in Worcester County, Massachusetts; Nassau and Suffolk Counties in New York; Clermont County in Ohio; and Charleston County, South Carolina.

More information on ALB is available at the following website:

            https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/pests-diseases/asian-longhorned-beetle

For additional information regarding the ALB Program, please contact the ALB National Policy Manager, Paul Chaloux, 301-851-2068.