California seeks federal aid to fight bark beetles

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency to help California address a widespread tree die-off exacerbated by four years of drought that has made millions of trees vulnerable to native bark beetles.

“California is facing the worst epidemic of tree mortality in its modern history,” Mr. Brown wrote in a letter to the federal agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack. “A crisis of this magnitude demands action on all fronts.”

The Brown administration blames the drought for the infestation of native bark beetles because healthy trees can usually defend against the insects. The federal Forest Service estimates that more than 22 million trees have already died in California.

Mr. Brown is asking the federal government for additional money and help for private landowners to remove dead and dying trees.

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Photo: William M. Ciesla, Forest Health Management International, Bugwood.org