BOSTON (AP) — Central Massachusetts communities will be receiving $1 million in federal funds to replant trees in areas affected by Asian Longhorn Beetle infestations.

On Monday, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern and state and federal officials announced the funding, which was awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Lana Jones reports

The money will be used by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation to replant about 2,000 trees in areas where trees were removed during efforts to eradicate the beetle.

The beetles, native to China, were first discovered in Worcester in 2008. The insects kill trees by tunneling through them.

A separate tree-replanting program, funded by federal stimulus dollars, has already replanted 13,500 trees in Massachusetts.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.