A new pest has the potential to do damage the nation’s pine forests.
Richard Annal reports it’s already damaging pines in two states:
Transcript
A new pest has the potential to damage the nation’s pine forests.
Richard Annal reports it’s already damaging pines in two states:
The Sirex woodwasp is believed to have made its way into the US
by infesting imported packing materials. The wasp was first
discovered in New York two years ago and has spread across a
large part of that state and into parts of Pennsylvania. The bug
destroys pine trees by laying eggs in them.
Jason Denim is a senior forester with New York’s Department of
Environmental Conservation. Denim says the wasp has proven to
be a major pest to pine forests around the world and has the
potential to do major damage to pines here in the United States:
“It’s been a major pest globally in pine plantations of North
American pine species primarily outplanted in other parts of the
world.”
To stop the spread of the wasp, foresters are asking loggers not to
take pine materials out of infested areas.
For the environment report, I’m Richard Annal.