The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing the latest plans to combat the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). APHIS and its partners are making steady progress towards eliminating this destructive tree pest from the United States. "We expect to complete our final tree inspections in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens by this fall, which shows we're closing in on eradication," said Josie Ryan, APHIS' ALB Eradication Program national operations manager. "But there are still quarantines in place for this beetle in these two areas, as well as in central Long Island, central Massachusetts, and southwest Ohio where we are still conducting eradication operations." "As you use wood this summer, please remember to follow the quarantine laws and buy or responsibly gather firewood where you will burn it, or use certified heat-treated firewood," continued Ryan. "We cannot eliminate this beetle without the help of residents and business owners limiting the transport of wood to help prevent the spread of ALB."