West Penn Power will spend about $1.5 million this year removing dead and dying ash trees in Western Pennsylvania to reduce the effects of the emerald ash borer beetle.

The company will continue removing trees in the Butler, Hannahstown and Slippery Rock areas for the remainder of 2015.

The beetle, which is from Asia, was first found in Pennsylvania about eight years ago, in Butler County.

Butler County is where the company started its tree removal program three years ago, said spokesman Todd Meyers.

So far about 20,000 ash trees have been taken down. Meyers said there still are an estimated 140,000 trees that need to be removed.

There are an estimated 7 ash trees per mile over West Penn Power’s 22,500 miles of distribution and transmission lines that could potentially knock out electricity to customers, Meyers said.

Last year the company spent about $1 million removing ash trees.

This work is part of the company’s $31 million vegetation management program.