A new pathogen has been detected in the Adirondacks. Beech leaf disease can spread rapidly. The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program recently brought together plant and forest scientists for a seminar to discuss what is known about pathogens and facilitate citizen science projects to identify and track them.

Beech leaf disease was first detected in Ohio, North America in 2012 and continues to spread, but scientists don’t know much about it.

Beech leaf disease is the latest threat to American beech trees, says Maria Moscury, a forest health expert at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Mature trees die in 6-10 years, young ones in a few years. When it was discovered in Herkimer County, the first of the state’s 30 counties to be affected by the disease in the Adirondacks this year, it set off alarm.

“DEC Forest Health in New York first began hearing reports of leaf banding and beech canopy thinning in 2017. It first began tracking it as beech leaf disease in 2018. , was detected only in the most southwestern part of the state.Each year since then, the extent of the disease has increased significantly.So far this year, beech leaf disease has been detected in 15 new counties.”

The biology and vectors of this disease are poorly understood. Researchers have found that nematodes cause symptoms of the disease, but they don’t know if it’s the sole culprit or if other pathogens are contributing factors. I said I don’t know.

“Avian or human spread are two theories. If BLD is discovered for the first time in a new county, a beech leaf sample is sent to the Cornell Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic to see if nematodes are present. , check the new location with pictures of these symptoms.”

The ideal time to study disease is late May through fall. Partnerships for the Statewide Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) Program, and DEC are conducting a citizen science program to collect photographs of leaf stripes and identify where beech leaf disease is widespread. increase.

Mitchell O’Neill, Invasive Species End-User Support Specialist for the New York Natural Heritage Program and member of the iMapInvasives project team, uploads photos of suspected diseased leaves to iMapInvasives in New York for positive identification. said there was a need.

“A good photo is very important. When photographed, it is easy to distinguish between beech leaf disease and other diseases, and it is very important to record these undetected investigations.Therefore, beech leaf disease If you go looking for it and can’t find it, record it.

Maria Moskalee is working with Lower Hudson PRISM to investigate beech leaf disease.

“Unfortunately, pretty much every beech tree they see has it.