NISAW: Visit the Beech! Yes, even during Maine winter!
Leave the flip flops at home, grab your winter gear, and check American beech trees for symptoms of decline from multiple invasive species this winter.
Image: (Left) Dark banding in a beech tree leaf can be seen in beech trees with beech leaf disease even in the winter. (Right) Beech leaves with beech leaf disease also have dark banding and a thick, leathery appearance in the summer. Photos: Abby Karter and Aaron Bergdahl, Maine Forest Service.
American beeches (Fagus grandifolia) are native trees that are under stress from multiple invasive species that threaten the tree health and the wildlife that depends on it. Beech bark disease, beech leaf-mining weevil damage, and more recently, beech leaf disease (BLD) are common concerns for the American beech.
BLD is a newly discovered disease that affects beech in Maine and is associated with an invasive nematode that eats developing leaf buds. Over time, this damage can result in premature leaf drop, a thinning canopy, and eventually, may lead to tree death.
Sometimes, American beeches do not drop all of their leaves in the fall, a phenomenon known as marcescence. This trait can be used to survey for beech leaf disease throughout winter. BLD is considered to be widespread in Maine, affecting 15 out of the 16 counties.
To identify potential BLD, look for dark banding between the veins of beech leaves and report BLD in towns it has not been detected.
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