( KTRS ) The City of St. Louis has begun removing thousands of trees affected, or at risk, from the Emerald Ash Borer Beatle.

The shiny green bug is responsible for destroying hundreds of thousands of Ash trees and recently has been discovered in the City of St. Louis. The City’s Forestry Division has been preparing for the pest, which has been moving across the country from east to west over more than a decade.

Unfortunately, Ash is the most common tree in St. Louis.

So far crews have mapped 15,000 trees for removal, they will begin treating large, healthy ones before they can become infected with the bugs, while removing thousands of others before they die and become dangerous.

In the coming weeks, residents may begin to notice bright yellow tags on Ash trees that must be removed. Residents can see where Ash trees are located by visiting the website ShowMOTrees.com