This is alarming - thousand cankers disease in TN

huskyhank · Aug 5, 2010

http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/5684

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Agriculture today announced the discovery of Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD), the first detection of the destructive tree pest east of the Mississippi River. The discovery was made in July by a TDA forester.

“The discovery of TCD in Tennessee is unexpected, but we’re prepared to help slow the spread of the infestation and protect our forest resources.” said state Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens. “We will be working closely with stakeholders to determine the extent of the infestation and to take steps to limit its spread.”

TCD is a progressive disease that kills a tree within two to three years after initial infection. The disease-causing fungus, Geosmithia, is transmitted by a small twig beetle. Branches and trunk tissue are killed by repeated infections by the fungus, as the beetles carry the fungus into new bark.

more at the link above........

BIG JAKE · Aug 7, 2010

Hope they contain that. I was up around Creede, Colorado for the week and the beetle infestation there is taking out all the spruce like a biological wildfire. Turning the forest red as it goes. Bummer to see that.

mdavlee · Aug 7, 2010

There was just a post about EAB last week. A couple of my ash trees have a lot of leaves that turned brown in the last week. I've got some sycamores that are pouring sap out of them in multiple places. The maples look real healthy all 3 out of 40 trees I've got.

JimiLL · Aug 7, 2010

I know a LOT of ash trees up by me are not doing well, could be some bugs??

betterbuilt · Aug 7, 2010

We just had a confirmed case of EAB. They think it was brought with some campers.

Brmorgan · Aug 8, 2010

Hmmm... I've noticed that a lot of the hardwoods (in classification only) around here are not doing well at all this year and are very sparse - everything from Box Elder to big weeping willows and elms, and even fruit trees in peoples' yards. I had chalked it up to possibly a late frost nipping some buds since these are all non-native species, but it isn't looking like that. A nice Mountain Ash right in front of my brother's place on the boulevard was quite healthy two years ago, and last year two large branches out of the top died. He cut them out and it looked good last year. This year all the outer branches are dead or just barely leafed out, and there are visible dead patches of bark up and down the tree, right to the ground. It's a fungus or virus of some sort, I'm sure, because there's no sign of insect attack on the tree.

The pine beetles are long gone here, but the spruce and D. Fir budworms are doing a real number on the other species now. And the Bronze Birch Borer is killing almost every birch of significant size. We'll be left with Cottonwood and Aspen by the time it's all over; and maybe some Cedars in the mountains if these dry summers keep up!