The city of St. Louis is preparing to chop down thousands of ash trees that are at risk of infection by the emerald ash borer, a beetle that showed up in the area last year.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the removal of about 15,000 trees will start Thursday and occur over the course of five years.
The city will also begin injecting 1,000 more trees with a type of organic botanical treatment to try and stop the bugs from spreading.
The city's forestry commissioner, Skip Kincaid, says some streets and neighborhoods will see a dramatic reduction in tree numbers. They're the most common tree in St. Louis.
The city says it'll replace the ash trees with more diverse kinds using grant money and funds made available to city aldermen.
