Bleeding Cankers of European Beech: Preserving the past, protecting the future

2007 Impact statement
  • Hudler, George William

abstract

The objectives of this project are (1) to determine what species of Phytophthora are causing decline and death of European beech in northeast U.S. landscapes, (2) the geographic and host ranges of the respective pathogens, (3) determine why these diseases have become so prevalent in recent years, and (4) to develop reliable management strategies.

submitted by

issue being addressed

We were moved to devote resources to this problem when the number of reports of declining specimen European beech on landscapes and historical sites in southeast New York abruptly increased in 2000.

response

We have identified three taxa of Phytopthora causing most of the cases of the disease, we have learned that collectively they occur on about 40 percent of susceptible trees in the northeast U.S. and we have determined that the pathogens can also cause disease on at least six other commonly planted trees and shrubs. Our efforts to develop management strategies seem to have been successful inasmuch as reports from practitioners in the field using our recommendations are positive

impact assessment

Tree care professionals routinely make recommended applications of sodium phosphite, a relatively benign fungicide, directly to trunks of trees either to protect them if they are healthy or to slow pathogen growth if they are diseased. In both cases, success seems to be good and hundreds of trees that might otherwise have died in the past year have survived.

academic priority area

has geographic focus

funding source description

  • New York State Arborists Association
  • Private industry
  • Hatch

collaborators

Technical University of Munich

key personnel

  • Angela Nelson
  • Gerald Weiland
  • Wolfgang Osswald

mission focus

From CALS annual faculty reporting. Imported on August 5, 2008