WORCESTER, Mass. -- Even as federal authorities are chopping down thousands of trees in the Worcester area to battle the Asian longhorned beetle invasion, plans are in the works to plant even more trees to take their place.
Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray and U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern are enlisting school groups, neighborhood organizations, environmental and business groups and others to raise money to plant on streets, yards and parks.
Murray tells The Worcester Telegram & Gazette the goal is to plant 30,000 trees in five years.
The state and U.S. Department of Agriculture have begun cutting down as many as 300 trees per day to deal with the invasive pest. Officials say as many as 16,000 trees could be cut down in Worcester, Shrewsbury, West Boylston, Boylston and Holden.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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