I remember the number of elm trees the UK lost to Dutch Elm Disease, a fungus spread by elm bark beetles, in the '70s and '80s (now more than 25 million, according to Wikipedia). I've not heard of it for years, but there probably aren't many elm trees left.
Despite the name, I can't blame Roth. The disease is believed to have originated in Asia, but was identified by Dutch scientists nearly 100 years ago.