Local politicians are coming together to help restore funding to fight the emerald ash borer.
Congresswoman Kathy Hochul and Sen. Chuck Schumer were in Erie County Monday to discuss funding to combat the emerald ash borer and its spread. According to the DEC, the beetle was recently confirmed in both Rochester and Buffalo. On June 9, the green, irridescent beetle that has the potential to kill off all of New York state's ash trees was found in South Park, Buffalo.
Workers on St. Paul Street at Upper Falls Park detected the beetle June 10. The beetle was first detected in New York in 2009 and has since been detected in eight counties. The beetles can kill a tree in two to three years.
Funding to help deal with the beetle could help small business, Hochul said.
“Small businesses are under attack on two fronts,” said Congresswoman Hochul. “First, by the emerald ash borer, which eats away at ash lumber, resulting in fewer materials for small businesses to work with. Second, by the U.S. House of Representatives for voting to cut funding to programs that can help find solutions to combat these invasive pests."
The House voted to cut the budget of the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service by $73 million.
“The emerald ash borer may be small, but its potentially devastating impact on Erie County could be enormous,” said Sen. Schumer. “With the bug continuing to spread across New York, now is not the time to cut programs that will help us manage these pests and preserve an industry that employs tens of thousands of people.”
The ash trees are a large percentage of forests in New York, which provides economic value and jobs to many in the forestry industry.
According to experts, the emerald ash borer has potentially caused hundreds of millions of dollars of damage already to the U.S. economy.
According to the DEC, the beetles can only be removed by removing the infested tree. DEC employees can cut down the trees, and grind them with the beetles. Workers will then weaken healthy ash trees to make them attractive to the beetles. When those become infested, they will be cut down and ground, as well. This will limit the infestations, the DEC said in a release.
Local politicians are coming together to help restore funding to fight the emerald ash borer.
Congresswoman Kathy Hochul and Sen. Chuck Schumer were in Erie County Monday to discuss funding to combat the emerald ash borer and its spread. According to the DEC, the beetle was recently confirmed in both Rochester and Buffalo. On June 9, the green, irridescent beetle that has the potential to kill off all of New York state's ash trees was found in South Park, Buffalo.
Workers on St. Paul Street at Upper Falls Park detected the beetle June 10. The beetle was first detected in New York in 2009 and has since been detected in eight counties. The beetles can kill a tree in two to three years.
Funding to help deal with the beetle could help small business, Hochul said.
“Small businesses are under attack on two fronts,” said Congresswoman Hochul. “First, by the emerald ash borer, which eats away at ash lumber, resulting in fewer materials for small businesses to work with. Second, by the U.S. House of Representatives for voting to cut funding to programs that can help find solutions to combat these invasive pests."
The House voted to cut the budget of the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service by $73 million.
“The emerald ash borer may be small, but its potentially devastating impact on Erie County could be enormous,” said Sen. Schumer. “With the bug continuing to spread across New York, now is not the time to cut programs that will help us manage these pests and preserve an industry that employs tens of thousands of people.”
The ash trees are a large percentage of forests in New York, which provides economic value and jobs to many in the forestry industry.
According to experts, the emerald ash borer has potentially caused hundreds of millions of dollars of damage already to the U.S. economy.
According to the DEC, the beetles can only be removed by removing the infested tree. DEC employees can cut down the trees, and grind them with the beetles. Workers will then weaken healthy ash trees to make them attractive to the beetles. When those become infested, they will be cut down and ground, as well. This will limit the infestations, the DEC said in a release.
