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Tree-Killing Beetle Creates Opportunity For Urban Lumber Mills

Small holes signify emerald ash borer damage in a dying tree. (Frank Morris/KCUR)
Small holes signify emerald ash borer damage in a dying tree. (Frank Morris/KCUR)

Ash trees are dying across much of the country. A green beetle, the emerald ash borer, has spread from the Upper Midwest, imperiling millions of trees.

But there is opportunity amid the destruction. Urban lumber mills that saw up salvaged city trees are on the rise — spurred by mounting demand for local products and a tsunami of supply delivered by the emerald ash borer.

From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Frank Morris of KCUR reports from Kansas City.

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