Beech Tree Disease

 It looks like our beech trees might be going the way of the Elm tree and ash. Check out the info from the conservation Dept.

Subject: FW: K10 Program and Beech Leaf Disease   This email does not pertain to the K10 program specifically, but I felt this group would benefit from this information. Beech Leaf Disease is a relatively new pest to Wayne County, but over the last few years, it has been spotted in every property I’ve been to that has American Beech. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Beech Leaf Disease is caused by a parasitic foliar nematode believed to have originated in East Asia (Japan, more specifically). The illness is characterized by dark green tissue between the veins of the leaves, followed by wilting, then eventual shed. The research indicates that affected leaves begin to swell and demand more nutrients to sustain themselves, all while reducing energy production. This essentially creates an energy deficit for the tree, and starves it. Younger American Beech are disproportionately affected, typically taking 1-2 years before dying, while mature trees have 6-10 years. This is believed to be the result of their respective energy reserves. At this point in time, there are only experimental treatment methods: Polyphosphite 30, Thiabendazole, and Fluopyram. Rutgers University put together one of the most comprehensive reports on the subject, which can be found using the following link: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/E376/ The reason why I mention this is because there is not much of a hopeful outlook at this point. The article specifically mentions the following, The most important method to mitigate the loss of beech in forests, rural, and suburban environments (not street trees) is to proactively underplant (and deer fence) with native cohort trees as the beech are declining   Even if your Beech are NOT in a state of decline, please have this in the back of your mind. Researchers are concerned this pest has the potential to spread everywhere within the native range of American Beech, and based on my own observations, this doesn’t seem like a far-fetched prediction. Please consider using the services of the K10 Program if your forest is at risk!   Sincerely, Trevor Tochydlowski – Forest Specialist