The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has begun removing trees around a reservoir in Ulster County to limit the impact of an invasive beetle.
The New York City DEP Friday announced it has started the removal of some 2,000 ash trees to limit the impact of the emerald ash borer.
The trees are being removed from a 200-acre area just north of the Ashokan Reservoir. Work on the site began in February and is expected to be finished by the end of the year. The emerald ash borer - a metallic green beetle smaller than a penny – was first found near the Ashokan Reservoir watershed in 2010, and the trees affected by the beetle first noticed in 2012.
The removal of affected ash trees is part of a DEP forestry project that will also include the removal of 2,000 trees of other species, to encourage forest regeneration around the reservoir and, in the end, protect water quality.
DEP manages New York City’s water supply.