State Funds Support Beetle Battle

Shrewsbury's battle with the beetle received some state green Monday.

Shrewsbury is among six Central Mass. communities sharing in $3 million in state funding toward replanting, by 2014, 30,000 area trees impacted by the Asian Longhorned Beetle, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray's office said in a press release.

The Worcester Tree Initiative, a public-private partnership launched by Murray and Congressman Jim McGovern (D-Worcester) in 2009, has set this tree goal.

Shrewsbury, Worcester, Holden, West Boylston, Boylston, and Auburn are sharing in the $3 million, Murray spokesman Reginald Zimmerman said today. The amounts for each community have not been set, he said.

The first beetle was first found in Worcester in 2008, Murray's office said.

In Shrewsbury, a number of trees were removed from town-owned on Ireta Road in September due to the beetle, telegram.com has reported.