Tiny beetle destroying mighty Californian oaks

San Diego, located in the US state of California, has a new problem that is creating the potential for biological disaster, and it’s small enough to miss at first glance, as it is the wood boring beetle, Agrilus coxalis.

According to a recent US Forest Services study on the destructive beetle, that began when it was first spotted in 2004 in California, the beetle has been able to work its way through two-thirds of the oak trees within one area about 30 miles east of San Diego.

Oaks are the most populous tree in the San Diego area and scientists are worried that if the infestation continues to spread more trees will die, increasing the chances of large scale fires to rage out of control in an area where wildfire problems are already an ongoing struggle.

Additionally, with the effects of climate weighing in on the area’s forests, oaks may have a weakened immune system to the beetle, making them more likely to die from the attack and decrease the amount of natural wildlife habitat in the state.

US Forest Services scientist, Steve Seybold, noted that the beetle could have come into California on firewood brought into the area from Mexico, but could have also originated in Arizona or Guatemala so it is hard to determine for sure where and when the infestation occurred.

Of greater concern is the fact that if it is not controlled the beetle could continue to work its way through California oaks into forests in neighbouring states such as Oregon.