I clicked through that second video and happened to hit the spot where he talked about ash trees and emerald ash borers. There were a lot of ash trees in southern Indiana and the whole surrounding region, now they are nearly extinct. I watched it happen over a period of three or four years.
It is true that very some very small trees escaped but it is absolutely not true that only old and unhealthy trees were killed. The species is nearly extinct here now. Nobody went deep into state and nation forests across a dozen or more states to cut down millions of ash trees, the bugs did a fine job of killing them without the help of chain saws.
I also don’t believe in general that only unhealthy plants are attacked by pests or disease.
Here’s a very fun math video with a spot in the middle that demonstrates beautifully why multiple layers of plants can absorb far more sunlight than just a flat surface.
(She uses the example of the amount of paint needed to coat the exterior of a dragon dungeon . . . but it’s all about surface area, either way!)
If all you want is the relevant section, go from around 3:20 to around 5:00.
The whole video’s awesome. In fact, her whole Doodling in Math Class playlist is awesome. She mixes mathematics, art, and snarky humor to make some of my favorite videos on YouTube.