Beech Leaf Disease Continues to Spread on L.I.
Beech trees are dying as Beech Leaf Disease spreads.
Have you observed the symptoms of BLD?
“Striping” is a common symptom of Beech Leaf Disease.
Beach Leaf Disease
Since 2018, NYS DEC has been working with Cornell Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic tracking Beech Leaf Disease (BLD). It has been identified in 35 counties in New York State to date and it's symptoms can commonly be observed in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
This rapidly spreading disease is of great concern and we are sharing this release from the NYS DEC with information on BLD and how to report it.
Trees with BLD experience leaf distortion and early leaf drop, weakening each season for 2-7 years before dying.
In a recent report, Margery Daughtrey, Plant Pathologist, Cornell University, LIHREC, describes the symptoms of BLD which appear over a series of years.*
Years 1-3: Symptoms of the disease are unnoticed
Year 4: A few leaves with dark bands between the leaves are noticed (these bands are shallow galls)
Year 5: A higher proportion of leaves with bands are noticed
Year 6: Many dead buds and severely stunted leaves are apparent. Some lateral buds produce leaves free from the symptoms.
Year 7: The percentage of buds affected increases, with the leaves at the top of the canopy the last ones to show the symptoms
*The number of years at each stage might vary with weather or with the health or species of the tree.
What can be done?
Research is still in it's early stages, with very little conclusive information available on how to stop or treat BLD.
BLD is caused by the presence of a specific nematode (a microbial worm) and there is not yet a proven way to kill it, once detected. Three experimental treatments have been studied. Two of the treatments aimed to kill the nematode and failed.
A third treatment instead aimed to strengthen the tree's systemic acquired resistance- to help the tree defend itself against nematodes. While still in it's experimental phase, this treatment is what we're recommending to our customers. We also recommend, based on Daughtrey's BLD report, a strong compost tea fertilization program.
From her report, 6 June 2022:
"The one thing to cling to is that healthy beech will be better able to persist until there is an effective treatment identified (and certified by EPA). This suggests to me that light fertilization or compost over the root system in the springtime is appropriate, and certainly protecting trees against extremes of drought or flooding. None of the 3 treatments now being tested is guaranteed to help but staying in touch with the current research will be important so that you can take advantage of any insights that become apparent."
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