People Are Only As Healthy As The Trees Around Them

Ever wonder how closely your health is linked to the health of the trees around you? No? Well, researchers at the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station did, and they decided to use the loss of 100 million trees in the eastern and midwestern United States to help do the math. The scientists, who analyzed 18 years of demographic, human mortality, and forest health data from 1,296 counties in 15 states, found that Americans living in areas infested by the emerald ash borer, a beetle that kills ash trees, suffered from an additional 15,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 6,000 more deaths from lower respiratory disease when compared to uninfected areas. Unnaturally disturbing news.  Read more from the U.S. Forest Service.