ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York state officials will test several different methods to control a pest that has killed thousands of pine trees on Long Island.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation says a $35,000 federal grant will fund ecological operations at Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest to combat the southern pine beetle. The beetle was discovered in the pine barrens in 2015.
Under the plan, foresters will thin out 18 acres of the pine barrens in three-acre blocks to give remaining trees more access to sunlight and nutrients. Each block will receive different treatments in order to determine their effectiveness.
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos says they hope to save thousands of trees from this invasive insect.
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