The site of the infestation is Halifax, Nova Scotia where the presence of the beetle has been confirmed in Point Pleasant Park, a lovely 99 acre wooded area in the city's south end. Local authorities believe the beetle arrived at the Port of Halifax adjacent to the park hidden in the wooden packing material of a shipment from either Europe or Asia sometime in the late 1980's. As there are no known effective chemical defenses, Canadian authorities are considering taking the drastic step of destroying up to 10,000 dead and dying red spruce, white spruce and Norway spruce within the park in an attempt to contain the infestation.
Officials are especially concerned because the beetle appears to be attacking healthy trees.
This is in contrast to the beetle's behavior in Europe where it favors trees already dead or weakened by disease and other factors. Authorities fear that should the brown spruce longhorn beetle establish itself in North America, it would have a devastating impact on the forestry industry in both Canada and the United States.