Many US cities will lose nearly all ash trees by 2060

By Michael Le Page

An invasive beetle called the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) will kill up to 99 per cent of ash trees on the streets of many US cities by 2060, according to modelling by Emma Hudgins at McGill University in Canada and her colleagues.

Invasive pests and diseases, such as Dutch elm disease, have had a devastating impact on some types of tree in many places around the world. Hudgins has previously found that despite the different nature of these pests, it is relatively simple to model their spread because …