Beech Leaf Disease: Another Challenge For The American Beech

Dec 29, 2016

Beech Leaf Disease joins the non-native beech scale and its associated beech bark disease (Nectria spp.) as another fatal blow to our native Fagus grandifolia.

Beech Leaf Disease (BLD) may also impact European beech, Fagus sylvatica. The disorder was first described in Lake County, Ohio in 2012. Since then, it has been verified in at least five other counties in northeastern Ohio, as well as Crawford County in northwestern Pennsylvania. Despite the efforts of The Ohio State University Diagnostic Lab and USDA’s Forest Service labs, the cause of BLD remains a mystery.

BLD appears to impact leaves and buds primarily. Initially, several leaves on an otherwise healthy tree appear striped, due to the darkening of the tissue between leaf veins. The striping is most obvious when viewed from below, looking up into the tree canopy. The darkened areas are raised and a bit thicker than surrounding tissue. This may be followed by a lighter, chlorotic-appearing striping.

As BLD progresses, clusters of leaves near the tips of branches appear badly shriveled and distorted, and bud and leaf production are greatly reduced. Buds that do form are small and weakly attached to the twig.

The disease progresses rapidly in saplings and severe decline may occur in a year or two after the initial symptoms appear. In mature trees, the disease seems to move from the lower branches up into the canopy, and progresses slower than it does in saplings. Where BLD is established, 100 percent of American beeches are symptomatic.

While beech is not an important timber species, it is an important part of the eastern deciduous forest ecosystem. American beech provides habit for birds and mammals as well as vital mast for deer, turkey, grouse and many other animals. According to Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy, over 100 species of caterpillars depend on American Beech for food.

While there is much to learn about this new threat to American beech, it can only help to have the eyes of landscape professionals and botanists looking out for its spread in Pennsylvania. The Forestry Division of Pennsylvania’s DCNR would appreciate reports of suspected BLD in Pennsylvania.

Sourece: psu.edu

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.