The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) is a new threat to some of North America's most beautiful and popular trees. "If this beetle were to become established here," wrote the USDA in 1999, "it could turn into the 'gypsy moth' of the 21st century, destroying millions of acres of America's treasured hardwoods, including national forests and backyard trees."

Native to parts of Asia, the beetle is believed to have arrived in North America in the wooden packing material used in cargo shipments from China. In the U.S., Cornell entomologist E. Richard Hoebeke first identified a specimen submitted from Brooklyn, NY.