Jan 5, 2009 7:00 pm US/Eastern
Worcester Beetle Battle Reaches Destructive Phase
WORCESTER (WBZ) ―
-
-
Crews began cutting down the infected trees Monday morning.
WBZ
-
-
Asian Longhorned Beetle
WBZ
Ten tree crews, under federal supervision, started taking down about 6,000 hardwoods in Worcester that have been infested by the Asian longhorned beetle.
The crescendo of chainsaws and chippers began building in Worcester's Greendale neighborhood, where many trees being cut down had been planted after another destructive force robbed the city of foliage, the deadly tornado of 1953. "It won't been the same. It just won't be the same," sighed Tom Mulhern who watched his neighborhood of nearly 50 years open to the sky.
"I'm very sad to see them go. We knew they were going to go and we know they need to go but it's still very sad," said Jeanette Allen, who by wearing a tree pendant, may own one of the last trees that will be left on her street.
The $24 million eradication program, which may take up to 10 years, is starting at this time of year because this is when the beetles and their larvae winter-over inside the trees.
The egg scars on trees being removed today are only part of the story about the Asian longhorned beetle, which threatens tens of billions of dollars in damage. "This is a very damaging insect and it's critical that we are able to contain the situation here right now and keep the insect from escaping to other environments in the area," said Suzanne Bond of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "If this beetle were to escape this area and go into those forests, we're looking at impacts to maple syrup production, tourism, nursery production and even timber and lumber production."
Property owners, such as Paul Jodrey, are still reeling from last month's ice storm damage. "That tree's going to have to go," he said pointing to a big hardwood in his front yard," but those used to be very tall in the back, no longer. They have to bring in a crane and take those trees out...all seven of 'em...it's a shame to see 'em go."
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments