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St. Paul, Minn.

1974: Dutch elm disease hits Minnesota

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Cutting down a diseased dutch elm tree
Crews in St. Paul cut down trees infested with Dutch Elm Disease in 1976.
Steve Plattner, Minnesota Historical Society

Minnesota's ash trees face a big threat from the emerald ash borer, an insect that kills trees in epidemic fashion.

We've been through this before with Dutch elm disease. In the 1970s, the fungus devastated elms across the state.

In this 1974 report, Dulcie Lawrence looks into the earlier epidemic and the plan to stop its spread.