Better effort needed to stop foreign forest bugs

May 11, 20160

DULUTH -- A panel of experts on the invading bugs and diseases killing trees and devastating forests across the country said Tuesday that the nation needs to boost its effort to keep those bugs at bay.

Foreign bugs already in the U.S. are costing more than $2 billion annually -- from Asian longhorned beetles to emerald ash borers and gypsy moths -- and efforts to prevent new pests are not keeping pace with escalating global trade.