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‘Absolutely devastating’: A tiny exotic beetle will see 180 of Hyde Park’s trees cut down
About 180 trees in Perth’s Hyde Park, including grand old Moreton Bay fig trees and London plane trees, are likely to be chopped down as a tiny invasive bug wreaks havoc across metropolitan Perth.
Authorities are attempting to contain the fallout of the arrival of the polyphagous shot-hole borer into Perth, an exotic beetle native to South East Asia that kills trees by boring tunnels into them and implanting a fungus.
Twenty per cent of Hyde Park’s Moreton Bay Figs and London Plane Trees may need to be chopped down to stop the shot hole borer.Credit: City of Vincent
Some of Perth’s most picturesque parks are ground zero for the invasion, including urban oasis Hyde Park, Lake Claremont, Kings Park and Perth Zoo.
Trees have already been removed in these parks but Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis said of the 900 trees in Hyde Park, about 20 per cent may have to be felled to stop the spread of the borer.
“At this stage, you can probably see there’s been some limb removal and a couple of trees removed, we are talking about scores of trees that will have to come down in the staged approach,” she said.
“It is absolutely devastating, but we’re doing all we can to stop the spread of this invasive species.”
Currently, a quarantine zone restricting movement of wood and plant material is in place across most of metropolitan Perth and Jarvis is urging residents not to import untreated wood from overseas.
Jarvis also wanted Perth residents to inspect their trees for evidence of the borer.
She said current evidence showed borers preferred to tunnel into European trees and evidence of their presence included tiny holes in a tree trunk, discolouration, staining or sawdust.
Jarvis conceded the fight to eradicate the pest would be a difficult one but said the state needed to try to avoid the millions in damage the pest has caused in other locations.
“A single female borer ... can fly up to 400 meters and can start a whole new colony within days,” she said.
“Biosecurity is difficult so at this stage the national plan is to try and eradicate this pest and that is why we’re doing this.”
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has inspected more than 1.5 million trees on more than 50,000 properties, and deployed 3000 traps to help track the borer.
City of Vincent Mayor Alison Xamon said the removal of trees from Hyde Park would be devastating but they did have to be removed.
“It’s a serious biosecurity issue ... I think it’s really important that we look at a very wide education campaign so that people know how to inspect their own trees,” she said.
The public can report the borer using the Pest Guide Reporter app or website: mypestguide.agric.wa.gov.au.