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Nine thousand.

That's how many trees of various species are expected to be cut down in Worcester by April before the next generation of adult Asian longhorned beetles emerge.

"That's a lot of trees," said Sonny Almeida, Attleboro's superintendent of parks and forestry.

And that's just the first phase of the Worcester project as trees continue to be surveyed.

To put it into perspective, Capron Park has about 500 trees, many of which could be susceptible to the pest, should the beetle find its way to Attleboro. Almeida attended a public forum on the longhorned beetle this week as part of a campaign to educate the public about the destruction that could be wrought by the insect.

If people are aware of the invasive pest, that's half the battle against the spread of the beetle, said Guy LaChance, service forester for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The Asian longhorned beetle has the potential to cause more damage than Dutch elm disease, chestnut blight and gypsy moths, combined, and could destroy millions of acres of America's hardwoods. That's because it does not attack just one host tree. Its menu includes a buffet of elms, poplars, boxelder, Norway, red, silver and sugar maples, alders, birches, horsechestnut and willows.

The inch-long beetle burrows through the layers of wood, interrupting the vascular flow of the trees, eventually killing them.

The infestation causing trees to be cut down could potentially deliver a blow to the lumber, maple syrup, nursery and tourism industries.

And it could dramatically change the landscape.

A 64-square-mile quarantine area is in place around Worcester right now to prevent the transportation of wood - and, potentially, the pest - to other areas of the state, LaChance said. Violators face a fine of up to $250,000.

The beetle, transported more than a decade ago from China through packing crates and pallets, had already eaten its way through trees in New York, Chicago and New Jersey before it was discovered in Worcester.

Some 21,520 trees in a 25-mile area of New Jersey had to be cut down over several years because of the infestation, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

While other methods are being explored, chopping down infested trees and burning the wood is currently the only way to eradicate the beetles which have no known natural predator here, LaChance said. "Quarantine, cut, burn or chip - and public awareness," are the major lines of defense, he told the Attleboro Garden Club Wednesday night.

LaChance said the beetle looks like a cross between a locust and a wasp. And although it's not aggressive or a direct threat to people, its mandibles are strong enough to chew through metal.

The longhorned beetle is commonly confused with the white-spotted pine sawyer beetle. Those also have long antennae, but have a white spot at the back of their heads.

The pine sawyer is also a flat-black color instead of the shiny bowling ball black of the Asian longhorned. And the antennae on the pine sawyer is all black. The Asian longhorned beetle has alternating black and white on its antennae.

There's another crucial difference: The pine sawyer attacks unhealthy trees, while the Asian longhorned goes after healthy trees, LaChance said.

"They set up a condo," he said. "They can infest a tree high up," so that they wouldn't necessarily be spotted right away.

"They are substantial insects and can fly 400 yards, but they are spread by people," he said.

LaChance, who has assisted with the survey of trees in the Worcester area, said, "the sad thing is, the beetle had been there for some time and nobody noticed."

"People were seeing it and not thinking anything about it," he said.

The adult beetles are active from early summer through the fall, which is why the first phase of tree cutting in Worcester will end in April. Otherwise, there's a chance the beetle could escape and cause more damage.

Adult females dig bowl-shaped holes in the bark to lay their eggs. Each female can oviposit 35 to 100 eggs - one hole for each egg. The larvae can grow to be more than 2 inches long. They burrow beneath the bark and are rarely seen.

Sawdust may be seen around the base of infested trees. Larvae eat away at the outer sapwood, creating wounds that may ooze sap, LaChance said.

The beetles leave dime-size "exit holes" in trees.

LaChance said the beetles have a unique way of feeding on tree leaves, eating just the veins.

Once trees around Worcester are thinned, the city is exploring a replanting plan with the help of the federal and state agencies.

Some of the wood from the thousands of trees already chopped down is being taken to the Pinetree Power Plant in Fitchburg to generate electricity.

LaChance said that while he believes spread of the beetle is inevitable, with the experience in Worcester and better public education, "we'll get on it faster."