WORCESTER, Mass. -- The effort to find every tree in Worcester and surrounding towns infested with a destructive Asian beetle is expected to accelerate next week.
Thirty-two tree climbers and 16 ground surveyors will cover Worcester and towns including Holden, Boylston, West Boylston and Shrewsbury looking for the Asian Longhorned Beetle.
So far, inspectors have found 1,500 infested trees in Worcester. All the trees must be cut down and chipped up.
City Manager Michael O'Brien told the Telegram and Gazette of Worcester he's hopeful the infestation won't be as bad as feared, because the number of infested trees is dropping as inspectors move away from where the beetles were first found.
The beetle bores dime-sized holes in hardwood trees, eventually killing them. Worcester is just the fourth area in the country where they have been found.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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