An emerald ash borer flashes its wings.
(Provided photo â Benjamin Smith, via Wikimedia Commons)
ITHACA (AP) — An invasive insect that kills ash trees is prompting Cornell University to fell 1,700 of the trees on its lands, a step it says will visibly alter the campus’s appearance.
The trees infested by the emerald ash borer will be felled between January and the end of March and include trees on and off campus, the university said Dec. 22.
The beetle, which bores under the tree’s bark, kills most infested ash trees within four years, creating a hazard.
“This is a safety issue with trees that are dying or near death, and will eventually fall, so we are going to need to take them down in order to limit concerns about public safety and property damage,” said Todd Bittner, director of natural areas for Cornell Botanic Gardens.