Beech leaf disease (BLD) is a tree disease that causes leaf striping, defoliation, and mortality of beech trees. BLD first arrived in New York state in 2018 and has since spread to 48 of 62 counties.
BLD has no known treatment, though many promising chemical treatments are being researched and are beginning to be used to treat individual trees. Beech trees are the third most abundant tree species in New York forests and are a major source of food and shelter for many species of native wildlife. Because of the importance of preserving beech on New York’s landscape, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Health Diagnostic Lab is partnering with researchers from the U.S Forest Service and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry to research the use of silviculture on lessening the impact of BLD.
Silviculture is the science of managing the composition, health, and quality of an entire forest stand. The research team hopes to learn how to manage the forest to mitigate the impacts of BLD on a landscape level, rather than treating individual trees.
The research team is testing two silviculture methods.
The first method is removing select trees from the overstory to increase light and airflow through the forest stand and help reduce competition for desirable beech. The second method is removing beech seedlings and saplings from the understory in order to prevent the disease from moving from the smaller, more susceptible trees to the larger, more established beech.
Throughout this year, DEC staff, researchers, and ESF interns will select trees to cut, collect pretreatment data, and implement the two methods. The project will be monitored for the next five years to see if the methods are working.
To help with BLD research and understanding, report symptomatic trees in new counties once leaves emerge in May. For more information on BLD research and distribution in New York, check dec.ny.gov/nature/forests-trees/forest-health/forest-health-beech-leaf-disease
