U.S.TOP STORY
Overlapping pests and diseases are devastating American forests
A University of Vermont study finds natural causes now kill far more Northeast trees than logging did, up nearly forty percent, and researchers can't explain half of it.
On air: Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Gloria Vance on BBN This MorningPublished
Photo: Riptor3000 at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Gloria Vance on this story, from BBN This Morning at 9:29 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The New York Times's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by The New York Times: “The Overlapping Plagues Quietly Devastating American Forests”.
- Covered on BBN on Monday, October 19, 2026, at 9:29 AM ET on BBN This Morning, by Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Gloria Vance.
- Topics: American.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- The New York TimesThe Overlapping Plagues Quietly Devastating American Forests
What BBN said about it
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorPests and diseases now kill far more trees in the Northeast than logging does, a University of Vermont study finds, with losses from natural causes up nearly forty percent.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorAnd for roughly half of those losses, researchers say they do not know what is driving the shift. One of them calls it definitely worrisome.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorHalf unknown. The beech trees are getting the worst of it, and they never even posted anything.
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Photo: User:Haplochromis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Paxson Woelber · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Garrondo · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: U. S. Embassy & Consulate in Greece · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Jonathan Riddell · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Monday, October 19, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months
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