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A new generation of elm trees could be equipped to beat the disease that killed the parents
Scientists injected 6,000 young elms with Dutch elm disease spores to find survivors for a breeding program, officials said.
- Scientists with the Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy Vermont injected 6,000 young elm trees with Dutch elm disease spores this summer to test their resistance to the fungal pathogen.
- Dutch elm disease, a fungus spread by bark beetles, has killed millions of trees over the last century, devastating forest hydrology and threatening river systems across the Northeast.
- Gus Goodwin of The Nature Conservancy called the trees a "ubiquitous part of the landscape," noting many in the Northeast remember losing elms from childhood homes and school yards.
- The Appalachian Trail Conservancy employs a different approach, injecting about 1,400 ash trees with insecticide across North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Massachusetts since 2016 to combat emerald ash borer infestations.
- Research ecologist Leila Wilson will place surviving trees in a seed orchard for about 15 years; once they produce seeds, the genetic stock will support restoration in forests and urban areas.
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22 Articles
22 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources22
Leaning Left10Leaning Right0Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution55% Center
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources are Center
55% Center
L 45%
C 55%
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