New York Funds $3 Million Effort To Stop Pine Beetles

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state is appropriating $3 million to fight the spread of pine beetles on Long Island.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement Monday, saying the funding from the state's Environmental Protection Fund would pay for crews to remove infested pine trees and create controlled burns in the fire dependent ecosystem of the Long Island pine barrens.

Newsday reports (http://nwsdy.li/2rO3URY ) the invasive species of beetle, considered one of the most destructive forest pests in the country, was first discovered in New York in 2014. The bug showed up throughout Long Island in the following years.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has cut down nearly 13,000 trees statewide to stop the spread of beetles, which attack all types of pine tree.