Ash forests to be wiped out

An invasive insect from called the Emerald Ash Borer entered the United States in 2002, and it will kill nearly all ash trees it comes into contact with.  In Pennsylvania alone, over 300 million trees will be destroyed by this infestation.  They are believe to have entered the United States in the wood of packing crates from China.

As the Philadelphia Inquirer states, there are effective treatments available, but they are too expensive to use on all Ash trees:

Although treatments can be effective - if an infestation is discovered in time, which often is not the case - they can cost several hundred dollars per tree and need to be repeated.

Interestingly, one casualty of this infestation is going to be Major League Baseball.  The Louisville Slugger bats used by the Major League are mainly manufactured from Ash trees in Pennsylvania and New York, and the company is currently researching alternatives to the Ash tree for bat material.