1

Living and Working in a Regulated Area

Asian Longhorned Beetle:

Massachusetts

United States

Department of 

Agriculture

Animal and Plant

Health Inspection

Service

Program Aid No. 2012

Issued November 2009

Slightly revised August 2010

Massachusetts
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Wood from ALB host trees may not be 

taken out of the regulated area unless 

it is chipped to less than 1 inch in 

two dimensions. Wood chips of this 

size are no longer a regulated article. 

Even if an insect were to survive the 

chipping machine, it could not develop 

through the various life stages and 

become an adult beetle due to the 

lack of moisture and nutrients in the 

chipped wood. Wood chips generated 

by the ALB program can be used for 

many purposes, including burning for 

energy.

A Compliance Agreement

Is Required To Do 

Business in the 

Massachusetts ALBRegulated Area 

In order to enter into a compliance 

agreement with the Massachusetts 

ALB Cooperative Eradication Program, 

all individuals and businesses (e.g., 

landscaping, construction companies, 

nurseries, tree removal services, fi rewood dealers, and others) performing 

work in the regulated area—as well as 

companies that do any tree pruning or 

removal, or in any way handle wood 

from the 12 ALB host tree species 

within the regulated area—must 

attend a training workshop, which is 

free of charge, with Massachusetts 

ALB Cooperative Eradication Program 

regulatory offi cials. All employees of 

these businesses or companies are 

urged to attend this training. 

At the conclusion of training, the 

compliance agreement will be signed 

by a business or company offi cial. 

A compliance agreement allows commericial operators access to approved 

sites for the disposal of woody debris. 

However, even those with a compliance agreement should not move any 

material if, based on their training, 

they believe it may be infested with 

ALB. Compliance agreement holders 

should call the Massachusetts ALB 

Cooperative Eradication Program immediately if they encounter a suspected ALB infestation.

All commercial operators working 

with regulated articles within the 

Massachusetts ALB-regulated area 

must have a compliance agreement 

with the program.

For answers to questions about regulated materials and permits in Massachusetts, please call the ALB program 

toll-free at 1-866-702-9938.

Figure 7. ALB compliance training

session.
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Living in ALB-Regulated 

Areas: Guidance for

Homeowners

Due to the risk posed by transporting 

wood articles that may contain ALB, 

homeowners, property owners, or 

residents in the Massachusetts ALBregulated area should not move any 

regulated articles. Regulated articles 

include fi rewood of all hardwood tree 

species, as well as the other materials 

mentioned previously. 

Homeowners and property owners 

should hire companies that have

compliance agreements for working 

on ALB host trees. Th ose with compliance agreements have access to the 

specifi ed areas where regulated

materials may be disposed of safely. 

Companies holding compliance agreements have been issued stickers for 

use on their company vehicles. Th e 

compliance stickers can be found on 

vehicle windshields, state the ALB program name, and include an expiration 

date. Th is sticker lets property owners 

know that the company with which 

they are working has been trained in 

handling wood materials in an ALBregulated area and has access to the 

designated wood disposal site.

Residents and homeowners should 

not move fi rewood. Firewood is an 

easy way that invasive species like the 

ALB travel, and this can cause infestations in new areas. Purchase your fi rewood where you will burn it. Firewood 

cannot be transported, given away, or 

sold within the regulated area unless 

it is moved by an individual, company, 

or business that holds a compliance 

agreement. Under no circumstances 

can fi rewood be moved from inside 

the regulated area to a location outside 

the regulated area. 

Residents and homeowners can assist 

in the ALB eradication eff ort by allowing Massachusetts ALB Cooperative 

Eradication Program offi cials access 

to their private property to perform 

surveys (i.e., locate ALB host trees 

and inspect them for signs of infestation); remove infested trees and, in 

some cases, high-risk host trees near 

infested trees; or control treatments 

of host trees. ALB Program representatives will perform these inspections 

on residential and business properties. 

Figure 8. Tree inspection being completed 

with a bucket truck due to its close proximity to power lines.