The Threat of Destruction of European Ash Trees by Green Beetles

Scientists have warned that a green beetle will deliver the final blow to ash trees in Britain. According to the Daily Telegraph, an invasion of a type of green beetle from Asia has caused significant damage to forests across Europe. The attack of these insects, along with the gradual drying out of these trees due to fungal diseases, could lead to the extinction of ash trees. The ash tree is one of the most common trees in Britain and is the second most common forest tree after the oak. Approximately 157,000 hectares of ash forests with 68 million trees exist in these areas, along with an additional 12 million ash trees outside these regions. However, scientists say these trees will not be able to withstand the onslaught of these green beetles, which are continuously spreading westward. The Guardian has also reported that the scale of the destruction of ash trees is greater than the loss of 15 million elm trees in the 1970s due to fungal disease. Peter Thomas, a tree ecologist at Keele University in England, who published the results of this research, states: 'It is likely that almost all ash trees in Europe will be destroyed due to fungal drying and the attack of green beetles, just as red elms were widely wiped out by fungal disease. These two factors together create compounded misfortune.' Thomas also mentioned that the invasion of the green beetle from Asia, which has already destroyed millions of ash trees in North America and has now reached the borders of Sweden, is inevitable: 'It is only a matter of when they will reach the rest of Europe, including Britain. The European species of ash tree is very vulnerable to the invading beetles, and these beetles are becoming the biggest threat to ash trees in Europe. This threat is much more serious than the risk of fungal drying disease.' The Guardian quotes Thomas as saying that this is a very large beetle coming from Asia that can fly long distances. Fungal drying of ash trees in England was first reported in 2012, but given the number of areas where this disease has been observed, it must have started before that time. According to Thomas, since mature trees resist this disease for years, it is unclear how many ash trees will be lost. In the worst-case scenario, 95% of these trees will ultimately succumb. This event has already occurred in Denmark, where many of these trees have suffered severe damage. Thomas also states that since the spores of the fungal agent can be carried by the wind over 10 miles and can remain in forest areas for four to five years, eradicating the fungal disease in Britain is practically impossible. Nevertheless, ash trees have a very wide genetic diversity, and some of them have become resistant to fungal diseases. Three resistant species have been identified so far. The genes that confer resistance to the trees can be transferred into the trees through genetic engineering.