Foresters from the state A disease that just recently entered the state four years ago and is currently affecting all 16 counties caused the first beech tree mortality on Tuesday. According to scientists, beech leaf disease has the potential to wipe out a species that is prevalent in Maine forests and serves as a vital source of food for wildlife.
The disease, which was initially identified in Ohio in 2012, is caused by an invasive tiny roundworm known as a nematode and has since quickly expanded north and east.
Aaron Bergdahl, a forest pathologist with the Maine Forest Service, said while checking a monitoring plot in the MidCoast Tuesday morning, scientists made an unfortunate discovery: the first tree deaths from the disease.
“A tough dose of reality of what this disease is actually doing in the state, and kind of a foreshadowing of what we can expect to see throughout large acreages in Maine,” he stated. “And I think that’s going to be very impactful when people realize that one forest that they used to walk through is no longer similar to what it was, and it’s dying or dead.”
Wildlife such as black bears and the endangered early hairstreak butterfly rely on nutrient-dense beech nuts as a food source.
Currently, there are no effective forest-level treatments for beech leaf disease, but there are remedies for homeowners, according to Bergdahl. He exhorts people to be on the lookout for signs like dark leaf banding. Bergdahl also advised burning firewood just where it is purchased in order to prevent spread.
More information about beech leaf disease and management options for homeowners can be found on the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestrywebsite.
