60 years after Dutch elm disease devastated America’s 100 million iconic trees, now scientists have infected 6,000 young elms in a radical bid to bring them back
- Elm diseasePhoto: CanvaSix decades ago, Dutch elm disease swept across the United States, killing an estimated 100 million American elms that once shaded streets, parks and college campuses from coast to coast.
- The fungus, carried by bark beetles, turned majestic, vase-shaped trees into dead standing skeletons and changed the look of countless towns.
- Now, in a bold and somewhat counterintuitive move, scientists have deliberately infected about 6,000 young elms with the disease in a large-scale experiment designed to find the rare individuals that can survive.
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- Elm diseasePhoto: CanvaSix decades ago, Dutch elm disease swept across the United States, killing an estimated 100 million American elms that once shaded streets, parks and college campuses from coast to coast.
- The fungus, carried by bark beetles, turned majestic, vase-shaped trees into dead standing skeletons and changed the look of countless towns.
- Now, in a bold and somewhat counterintuitive move, scientists have deliberately infected about 6,000 young elms with the disease in a large-scale experiment designed to find the rare individuals that can survive.
Sources: Times of India