Tree Problems - Diseases Insects StressorS

Beech Leaf disease in a nematode that effects our native beech tree. If you look under the canopy of the leaves you can see black lines fill out the lines in the leaves of an infected beech tree.

Nematodes are not a disease itself; it is a type of organism (a roundworm). These parasitic nematodes are the cause of diseases.

Beech trees without topsoil / mycorrhizal and without leafy forest floor unaffected by Beech leaf disease

This is possibly a way to help manage and mitigate the impact of Beech leaf disease in our forests.

topsoil has the fungi network (mycorrhizal) which it and the leafy forest floor
beech trees growing in this fallen old growth tree without the topsoil mycorrhizal and leafy forest floor layer is thriving while the thousands of other beech trees are affected by beech leaf disease
It is worth exploring how to make a nematodephobic mycorrhizal
(HELP or HURT) I wonder if Black Walnut wood chips ward off nematodes in the mycorrhizal and possibly purge the nematodes from the tree as a treatment, if this works and the additional stress does not kill the tree then it may be a way to help treat beech leaf disease along with a fertilifer as Rugters suggests, though it may stunt the growth of the tree it may protect it from this disease
Pectin - How about blowing the Beech leaf litter to another part of the forest and then Blow Oak leaves to replace it? Maybe the nematodes cannot handle eating the Pectin much like the Macroinvertabrates prefer maple without the pectin removing the food source and the tree recover lessening the reintroduction of nematodes from the leaf litter?

How can I help the Beech Trees affected by Beech Leaf Disease on my Property?

Treat with Polyphosphite-30® (Plant Food Company, Inc.) using 2 fl.oz. of PolyPhosphite-30® + 14 oz. water / 1" DBH

Mitigation - Plant understory trees that will be the successors of canopy loss in old growth beech forests

Understory trees to plant in your Beech Tree Groves

- - white oak (Quercus alba)
  - chestnut oak (Quercus montana)
  - swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor)
  - shagbark hickory (Carya ovata)
  - pignut hickory (Carya glabra)
  - mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa)
  - bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis)
  - American holly (Ilex opaca)
  - white pine (Pinus strobus)
  - black gum (Nyssa sylvatica)

Resources - Understanding Beech Leaf Disease from our Land Grant Colleges

American Sycamore (fungus)

Our sycamore trees are affected by fungus in the early spring. American Sycamores are stressed with wilting leaves as they emerge due to this fungus. When the temperature gets warmer the fungus cannot survive so the sycamore starts to look healthy again.

Best Management practices for Sycamores

When the leaves fall the fungus can lye dormant over the winter until spring. The excess fungus from the leaf litter will then affect the tree causing further wilting stressing the tree the following year. Lessening the leave litter (raking or blowing the leaves) in the fall will help lessen the impact on the sycamores the following year.

Q&A - Question: What you can I do to help American sycamores affected by fungus wilting its leaves?

Answer: Rake or blow the leaves removing them from under the sycamores to lessen the impact of the fungus on our Sycamore. Remember that the roots extend twice as long as the leaf canopy of a tree.

Cankers and Stem wilt

Cankers or stem wilts could be caused by fungus or bacteria. A stressed tree from other environmental factors can highten a tree's chance of being affected by tree diseases.

Q&A - Question: How can I protect my trees from Tree Diseases?

Answer: You can protect your trees by

water
removing invasive plants/ vines
fertalize
correct amount of sun for plant
Prune diseased branches to prevent spreading in tree
Wash Prunners to prevent spreading deisease to a different place you use that tool
prune when the plant is dormant or not in growing season (do not cut branch collar)

Fire Blight

Fire blight - Young growth on apple trees are susceptible to fire blight. This shows as a oozing yellow/orange/brown bacteria (Erwinia amylovora) in young stems and can be pruned off a foot back from the canker into the branch to limit the spread of this bacteria in apple orchards.

Source = opportunistic, the bacteria attacks young growth that is damaged such as an insect had bitten, bored, or a bird has landed on and had fractured the bark.

What was the source of the primary stressor that allowed this disease to become susceptible to the fire blight?

What soil or environmental condition, what physical damage

Canker Treatment:

Treat the stressor and / or adjust environment

soil - amendment/application

drought - water

trim / prune - physically remove the effected branches

American Chestnut / Canker treatment

Packing an American Chestnut canker with mud has shown positive results that the bacteria in the mud can help the tree heal cankers. Scrap som of the canker off, pack with mud and cover it holding the mud in place on private property and one off trees to help thm heal. Not a broad solution but it an help if you have a chestnut tree.

Oak Diseases

Oak Wilt

Oak wilt (Bretziella fagacearum) is a vascular wilt disease caused by a Fungus. The Xylem is affected by a pathogen which the tree reacts to.

Red/White - Red oaks have less tyloses which plug xylem flow the white oak uses to protect itself. Red oak can be harmed by this disease faster due to this difference in the oak species.

Tyloses are used in white oaks to shut off older xylem flow structures and rely on the new outer xylem structures to transport water.