First deadly fungus, now Ash trees face killer foreign beetle

ASH trees could be wiped out by an Asian beetle just as they begin to recover from the devastating ash dieback fungus, scientists have warned.

Experts from the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew said the emerald ash borer beetle was on the march to Europe. It could be even more deadly than ash dieback, which is expected to kill 50 per cent of the country’s 120 million ash trees.

In the US, tens of millions of ash trees across 25 states have died due to the beetle.

Dr Richard Buggs, head of plant health at Kew, said the beetle could be the final nail in the coffin for Britain’s ash trees.

“It’s devastating ash populations in America and it’s currently found around Moscow in Russia. Research shows it is spreading towards Europe, so over the next few years we could see it enter Europe and spread through and find ash trees already weakened by ash dieback,” he said.

The beetle is native to China, the Korean peninsula, Japan, Taiwan, Mongolia and the far east of Russia. It lays its egg on the bark of the trees and then the larvae eat into the green tissue beneath which supplies nutrients and water, until the tree dies. Experts believe the beetles have travelled via shipping crates.

Studies have shown that

the loss of Britain’s ash trees could wipe out 45 native species.

Prof Kathy Willis, director of science at Kew and editor of the State of the World’s Plants report, said: “The sad thing is, it’s not just that you’ve lost your street furniture, but as a city loses the trees you get an increase in respiratory problems and an increase in mental health problems.”

The report also revealed that 1,730 new plant species were discovered in 2016, including 336 orchids, 29 begonia and a new parsnip.