Highlights
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- The emerald ash borer (EAB) began killing ash trees in Cincinnati in 2007.
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- We used a natural experiment approach to assess impact of tree loss on crime.
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- We compared crimes in EAB-infested blockgroups to those in non-infested blockgroups.
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- Multiple crime types had significant and positive associations with EAB infestation.
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- Urban trees may reduce crime.
Abstract
The
ecological impact of invasive tree pests is increasing worldwide.
However, invasive tree pests may also have significant social costs. We
investigated the association between the emerald ash borer (EAB)—an
invasive tree pest first discovered in the US in 2002—and crime in
Cincinnati, Ohio. We used a natural experimental approach, and compared
crime (in 11 classes) on census block groups infested with EAB with
crime on block groups not infested with EAB between 2005 and 2014. We
accounted for demographic and biological differences between infested
and un-infested block groups using propensity-score weighting. EAB
infestation was significantly and positively associated with relative
increases in crime in all but four crime categories. Our results suggest
that invasive tree pests may be associated with social costs worth
considering when managing invasive species. By extension, healthy trees
may provide significant social benefits.
Keywords
- Trees;
- Crime;
- Invasive tree pests;
- Emerald ash borer
Published by Elsevier B.V.
