Scientists infect 6,000 young elms in bold bid to bring iconic trees back

Six 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. As reported by The Associated Press, this “survival of the fittest” approach could be the key to restoring elms to the American landscape in an era of climate change and urban heat. Read on to know more:The fall of an American iconFor much of the 20th century, the American elm (scientific name: Ulmus americana) was one of the most common street trees in North America.