Over the next three decades, invasive insects may destroy more than a million trees in America

Trees planted in urban areas are important in keeping cities cool, so boosting their biodiversity would make people's lives more prosperous.

A recent research study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology on March 13 warned of an imminent environmental disaster that may destroy many trees in the United States over the next three decades .

The study indicated that the invasive Emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, is the main cause of this environmental damage expected to affect 90% of the 1.4 million ash trees.

According to the press release published by the British Ecological Society, this beetle will eliminate ash trees in more than 6,000 urban areas.

Harmful Plant Insects Getty

A report published by Science Alert indicated that the average cost of replacing trees and restoring leftover damage could reach $30 million annually. If these invasive insects were to settle in the United States, that cost would rise to billions of dollars before 2050.

“We hope that these results will provide a cautionary context against planting a single type of tree across entire cities, which is what happened with ash trees in North America,” says ecologist Emma Hodgins, who led the study from Canada’s McGill University. .

These estimates were made based on a set of data collected by scientists from nearly 30,000 metropolitan areas in the United States. They then combined tree distribution data with predictive models for the prevalence of 57 different invasive insect species.

Hotbeds of impending doom

The report identified the hotspots, which included New York, Chicago and Milwaukee. As these areas contain large numbers of ash trees and are - currently or in the near future - paths for the emerald ash borer. Less than a quarter of American society will absorb about 95 percent of these tree-hit invasive species, according to the study.

Part of the problem is the lack of tree diversity in the cities, which is confirmed by the distribution of ash trees there. If there was a greater diversity of trees, there would be greater resistance to threats posed by invasive insects such as the emerald ash borer.

In this regard, ecologist Frank Cook, who is involved in the study, states that "there is one species or genus of trees that dominates many urban areas. This means that this newly arrived invasive insect - which makes these trees a host - can spread easily ".

"Moreover, there are usually fewer predators in these areas, and a warmer environment compared to nearby natural forests, which may help the development and spread of invasive insects," Cook adds.

The importance of promoting tree biodiversity

The researchers considered the potential impact of other insects that have not yet made it to the United States, including the Citrus long-horned beetle, a species known for its ability to kill various types of hardwood trees.

Despite its intense cautionary context, the researchers hope that this study will help city planners to develop future plans in advance that prevent this type of costly damage from occurring.

And because we know that trees planted in urban areas are important to keeping cities cool, boosting biodiversity can make people's lives more prosperous. So preserving these natural lungs helps cities thrive and stay healthy.

"Many European countries are already dealing with dying ash trees, so preventing further spread of the emerald ash borer in Europe is critical. We hope the lessons from North America will prove useful to the European continent," concludes Cook.

Source : Science Alert + websites