On Long Island, Beetle Recovery Begins

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation is teaming up with the Department of Agriculture. Their mission? To repair tree damage from an old enemy: the Asian Longhorned Beetle.

The beetle first appeared in the US in 1996, in Brooklyn. The bug kills trees by boring through their bark. Despite numerous attempts get rid of the pests, they keep coming back.

The latest infestation cropped up in 2014, in Nassau and Suffolk counties. The state's urban forestry manager Mary Kramarchyk, said they're working with the federal Urban Forestry Program to replant what was lost. She said community education will play a key role.

"You really need the education for the public, because most people don't realize what they need to do to help a tree survive," Kramarchyk said. The department plans to give residents information on which trees are unlikely to fall prey to beetles, as well as what kinds of trees will work well in their area.

Kramarchyk says the first step is figuring out which trees need to be replaced.