Feb 23, 2009 6:49 pm US/Eastern
Beetle Battle Leaves Parts Of Worcester 'Naked'
WORCESTER (WBZ) ―
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So far, more than 13,000 infested and susceptible trees have been cut down to eradicate the beetles which threaten billions of dollars damage to lumber, maple syrup and other industries.
WBZ
The federal, state and local team battling tree-killing Asian Longhorned Beetles in Worcester has dramatically altered that city's landscape. "It's overwhelming," said Cecile Anctil, who stepped outside this morning and saw things she'd never noticed before. "I didn't even realize there were so many utility poles," she said. "I'm very, very sad. I'm overwhelmed. I usually walk in the morning and I can't believe the change in the neighborhood."
The moan of the chipper haunts Worcester's Greendale section where the beetle infestation was discovered last summer. So far, more than 13,000 infested and susceptible trees have been cut down to eradicate the beetles which threaten billions of dollars damage to lumber, maple syrup and other industries.
"It's amazing. It's amazing. It really is," said Richard Swedberg who has lived in the neighborhood more than 30 years.
Today, he found a new way to describe it. "Naked. We don't have any trees. It's going to be a long time before they get any trees up here too...oh it's going to be horrible in the summer with no shade."
Already, it's not so great in the winter. "You feel the wind now," Swedberg observed.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects this phase of tree removal to end in a couple weeks, followed by stump grinding and more surveying for signs of infestation.
"It looks like another neighborhood. Like a project. Like you just moved in, you know, and it hasn't been landscaped," Cecile Anctil reflected. She added, "It's sad but necessary."
The Worcester Tree Campaign is helping raise funds to match $24.5 million the U.S.D.A. is putting up to replant 30,000 trees in the city.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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