Mysterious New Disease Begins Killing Off Beech Trees

The symptoms of the new beech leaf disease include dark banding between veins and crinkling leaves. Credit: Forest Pathology, Ohio State UniversityA new disease has begun killing beech trees, and plant scientists are unsure why, according to The Ohio State University Plant Pathology Department.

The “Beech Leaf Disease” has quickly become an epidemic and has been found in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada; researchers say a cure will need to be found quickly in order to stop the spread of the disease, which is particularly deadly to younger beech trees.

The first sign a tree has been infected is dark green bands appearing between the veins of their leaves, according to the report. Leaves then become “darker, shrunken, crinkly and leathery” in later stages of the disease, and branches stop forming buds.

"It's hard at this point to say where this disease will go, but it has all the hallmarks of something like emerald ash borer or sudden oak death, threats to trees that start slowly and quickly pick up speed,” Ohio State Professor of Plant Pathology Pierluigi Bonello told Ohio State News. “We seem to be in that rapid expansion phase right now.”

Researchers speculate the epidemic could be caused by a microscopic worm, but it remains unclear.

Bonello and Ohio State graduate student Carrie Ewing, who was the lead author of a new study on the mysterious new illness, hope to find answers on how to stop its spread by this summer, according to the report.