Asian Beetle Claims Thousands of Trees on Staten Island

New York, NY —

An infestation of Asian Long-horned Beetles has hit Staten Island, and already claimed over 4 thousand trees. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more on how the parks department is struggling to manage the situation.

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe says the current infestation is the worst to have ever hit New York. The Asian long-horned beetle has no natural predators, and threatens half the city's 5 million trees. But to eradicate the beetle by 2014, the parks department is asking for $48 million in funding from the federal government, far more it's given in past years.

If the funding doesn't come through, the eradication could take decades, and allow the beetle to spread from Staten Island to the mainland, and even into New England. Even if the funding is provided, it might mean destroying thousands of trees on public and private property to save the ones that aren't infected. For WNYC, I'm Arun Venugopal.