To slow the invasion of the emerald ash borer beetle, the town of Montclair, New Jersey, is making plans to cut down 2,000 ash trees whether they're infected or not.
Montclair State University biology professor Dirk Vanderklein told cbs.com, "There are some insecticides that could be used, but that's very expensive, so there's a tradeoff. Do you want the city to spend a lot of money on an insecticide that may or may not kill off the insect?" Vanderklein added, "Once the beetle is in town, it's pretty much the end of the ash trees."
Residents of Montclair flooded the town's Facebook page when the plan was put into action. "What's going on? Why are they cutting down our trees?" wrote one resident.
A town spokesperson said, only township-owned trees will be removed. Property owners with Ash trees are responsible for removing their trees.
After the trees are removed they will be burned or chipped.
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