Environmental Economics

I wonder if any NC State economists think this one is exaggerated?

Several dead or dying ash trees dot lawns along Canterbury Road, but only one has drawn the
attention of Upper Arlington city arborists.

Last week, Jim Lekoy and Scott Conover pointed to a dead limb in one backyard that hangs over a
set of power lines.

The city has ordered the homeowner to remove the tree before the limb snaps and falls on the
lines.

“They want to take it down in September,” Lekoy said. “We’re here to see if it will last that
long.”

Such visits have become more frequent as the emerald ash borer spreads through central Ohio,
where it is expected to kill nearly every mature ash tree by 2018.

…

Ash borers were first discovered in 2002 near Detroit, where they likely had hitched a ride in
wooden packing crates shipped from China. A minor pest in Asia where ashes are more resistant to
borers, the insects have proved deadly to North American ashes. Borer larvae eat the soft wood
under the bark, cutting off water and nutrients in the trees.

via www.dispatch.com