Here are some ideas for altering parameters to mimic beach bark disease and emerald ash borer:

~ I have recently read in a long term study on hardwood forest regeneration that when mature american beech trees are about to succumb to beech bark disease they will send up alot of root shoots. To account for this, the life span of beech will have to be shortened (by half or so), but they will also somehow have to be made more prolific. It would also be good to know if beech "behaves" this way anytime it is about to die, not only when it has beech bark disease.

~ Emerald ash borer can be simulated by changing the death equation, or by greatly increasing the chances of an ash tree dieing. The literature states that emerald ash borer can cause mortal damage to an ash tree within 3 - 4 years of the tree encountering the insect.

I will post more possibilities later,

~ Erin Pfeil