BOSTON (AP) — The state has announced it’s providing the last $3 million needed to replant 30,000 trees in the central Massachusetts area hard hit by the Asian longhorned beetle.
The destructive beetle, native to China, was first discovered in the Worcester area in 2008 and spread as far as Boston by 2010. More than 32,000 trees were cut down to try to eradicate the insect, which kills trees by boring through them.
On Monday, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray and U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern announced the final piece of funding in their Worcester Tree Initiative, which aimed to replace 30,000 trees.
The $3 million is part of $9 million in public funds allotted for the replanting, including federal, state and local money. The rest of the initiative has been funded by $450,000 in private contributions.
