Beech leaf disease

[rockm]

This sounds bad. It’s been around a few years and was initially discovered only a few miles to the south of me. It’s spreading and is apparently %100 fatal

Beech Leaf Disease Worsens in Maryland, Detected in Montgomery County - The MoCo Show

The Maryland Department of Agriculture has confirmed worsening symptoms of beech leaf disease in Maryland, including Montgomery County, caused by a microscopic nematode that threatens native and ornamental beech trees, […]

mocoshow.com

 

[Paradox]

Makes me think it might not be worth continuing to work with beech. If this shows up here, it won't be.

 

[PA_Penjing]

No sign of it in Bethlehem, PA but was in New Hope, PA this weekend and every beech was sick with it

 

[RoadManDenDron]

Ouch! Any all out species killer disease is scary,

But a beech takes so long to develop and literally a lifetime to refine

I wonder if this is a cause worthy of ryan Neil's attention like the puglian olives

 

[littletreefarmer]

BLD has been a big issue in CT forests for several years already. Really surprised others south of here are reporting none.. Most people in my club, even the diehard native lovers, have mostly given up on American Beech for this reason, sadly. There is some strong research on the web of small scale treatments (mostly extremely high phosphorus fertilizers), but the recommended products are astronomically expensive and always out of stock.

I have one tree that is mostly infected, but has crept on for the past few seasons. It lost the apex this year, though, and I'll probably compost it soon, unfortunately. Best of luck to anyone trying, though. I just hope the forests recover with a similar tree taking over the place of the Beech. Most forests recovered in some way when the Chestnuts died out, so I'm hopeful.

 

[Jrmcmich]

does this appear to be this disease? Posted in another thread yesterday but no responses. This is a forest of European beech out together this spring. Noticed one leaf’s all brown and another turning. Just wondering should those trees be removed from forest?

 

[Cmd5235]

does this appear to be this disease? Posted in another thread yesterday but no responses. This is a forest of European beech out together this spring. Noticed one leaf’s all brown and another turning. Just wondering should those trees be removed from forest?

View attachment 602043
View attachment 602044

Hold the leaves up to the light. If you see dark areas between the veins, most likely.

I’m down in Southeastern PA where this is moving through rapidly. It only popped up in the last year or so here, but most trees are being hit hard. The mortality rate is expected to be near 100%, with young trees dying very rapidly. Unlike emerald ash borer, all size trees are susceptible.

I have a few beech, I may try a treatment. None of my trees are anywhere near finished, but if I can keep them alive until the surrounding beech die, that may be enough to interrupt the nematode cycle and have a few survivors. Key to that is early removal of the leaf before the fall and promptly destroying it to prevent overwintering.

Horrible stuff, all around. In a decade we will see a profound shift in the forest habitat throughout the Northeast

 

[rockm]

does this appear to be this disease? Posted in another thread yesterday but no responses. This is a forest of European beech out together this spring. Noticed one leaf’s all brown and another turning. Just wondering should those trees be removed from forest?

View attachment 602043
View attachment 602044

No that looks like chlorosis to me. Yellowing is too regular

Could be a nutrient issue, a soil problem or a watering issue

 

[Paradox]

Horrible stuff, all around. In a decade we will see a profound shift in the forest habitat throughout the Northeast

Its already starting in some areas. The Southern Pine beetle is taking out whole stands of Pitch pine here in some areas.

 

[Jrmcmich]

No that looks like chlorosis to me. Yellowing is too regular

Could be a nutrient issue, a soil problem or a watering issue

Had decent amount of rain lately. Had been trying chop stick method for when to water. Probably not tons of roots vs box size either so staying more wet.

 

[Cmd5235]

Its already starting in some areas. The Southern Pine beetle is taking out whole stands of Pitch pine here in some areas.

I worked at a national natural landmark serpentine barren full of pitch pine. Prescribed fire stopped, the beetle moved in, and that was that. Pitch pine was gone

 

[ABCarve]

My woods trees have been infected with it since 2016. Ground zero was Cleveland area in 2012. The large trees (2 ft.+ dia.) are still kicking albeit diminished. The lower canopy tree are very sad and I wonder how they leaf out at all, but none dead.....yet. I had a nice EU beech that I had been treating with the help of Holden Arboretum, but this spring it this had the little buggers in the leaves and it now resides in my compost heap.

Thread 'Hand me down J. beech----help'

Apr 25, 2014

I just have been enlisted to "save her bonsai". She wants me to have them (but not just yet...hmmm) because she can't take care of them anymore. She's been doing it since the mid-60s. So I've got this J. beech or E. beech ( she can't remember) and in dire need of chasing back. The trunk is about 1-1/4 dia. I've never worked with beech before. What's the best way to proceed? I was going to repot, get the weeds and old soil out, and cut back to one bud per branch. Too drastic?? It must have been a small forest or multi-trunk at one time from the stumps around the trunk. Wadaya think...

• ABCarve

• 

 

[Dav4]

I learned of this disease literally weeks after planting several F. sylvatica "Purple Fountain" landscape trees in the yard a few years ago. Very sad that they'll probably never grow to maturity as it's been noted in my local area, apparently. I don't even want to think about the local strands of native Beech .

 

[Cmd5235]

My woods trees have been infected with it since 2016. Ground zero was Cleveland area in 2012. The large trees (2 ft.+ dia.) are still kicking albeit diminished. The lower canopy tree are very sad and I wonder how they leaf out at all, but none dead.....yet. I had a nice EU beech that I had been treating with the help of Holden Arboretum, but this spring it this had the little buggers in the leaves and it now resides in my compost heap.

Thread 'Hand me down J. beech----help'

Apr 25, 2014

I just have been enlisted to "save her bonsai". She wants me to have them (but not just yet...hmmm) because she can't take care of them anymore. She's been doing it since the mid-60s. So I've got this J. beech or E. beech ( she can't remember) and in dire need of chasing back. The trunk is about 1-1/4 dia. I've never worked with beech before. What's the best way to proceed? I was going to repot, get the weeds and old soil out, and cut back to one bud per branch. Too drastic?? It must have been a small forest or multi-trunk at one time from the stumps around the trunk. Wadaya think...

• ABCarve

• 

Oh no! I remember seeing your treatment procedures and feeling hopeful for a while. Sad it didn’t survive

 

[The Barber]

Makes me think it might not be worth continuing to work with beech. If this shows up here, it won't be.

That's why I quit collecting beech, I'm not down for being devastated when I lose a tree im attached to and have years invested in. Hopefully they can come up with a nematicide that is more effective against it. As of now from what I understand, the only thing that works at all is Fluopyram, and only reduces the numbers of nematode in the beech leaves but doesn't eradicate them. I now where a couple of amazing beech specimens are that I'd been itching to collect, but decided not to bother out of fear of losing them eventually.

 

[rockm]

The nematodes that cause this are spread through physical contact with infected trees, so As bonsai I would think there is a bit more wiggle room for the tree. It is out of the forest soil and away from contact with other trees.
There are challenges with many species and disease but the same species as bonsai are less vulnerable IMO. Dutch elm disease is t an issue for elm bonsai for instance because bonsaid elms are too short to be infested by the beetles that carry the disease.

 

[ABCarve]

Oh no! I remember seeing your treatment procedures and feeling hopeful for a while. Sad it didn’t survive

It survived and so far living in the compost heap. It is just that the leaves are so funky that a bonsai is not in the cards.

 

[ABCarve]

The nematodes that cause this are spread through physical contact with infected trees, so As bonsai I would think there is a bit more wiggle room for the tree. It is out of the forest soil and away from contact with other trees.
There are challenges with many species and disease but the same species as bonsai are less vulnerable IMO. Dutch elm disease is t an issue for elm bonsai for instance because bonsaid elms are too short to be infested by the beetles that carry the disease.

Actually it is spread by water droplets via rain or dew. My tree never came in contact with any infected tree, however it was within 50 yards of my forest trees. That’s why Holden Arboretum had me put it under roof.

 

[Jrmcmich]

This is one of trees in forest today. I have another single beech I got At show few weeks back and wondering if need to keep separate? Although these and single originated from same place just at different times

 

[ABCarve]

This is one of trees in forest today. I have another single beech I got At show few weeks back and wondering if need to keep separate? Although these and single originated from same place just at different times

View attachment 602248

I must say those leaves look suspicious and you’re in the infected area.

Beech Leaf Disease » HF&G

Learn about what causes beech leaf disease, available treatments, what you can do to limit the disease's spread and how to identify resistant trees.

holdenfg.org