Beech tree populations in the U.S. are continuing to be devastated by an invasive microscopic parasite known as “beech leaf disease,” and conservationists are racing to find a cure, Cleveland.com reported.
The beech leaf disease is fatal for saplings and seedlings, killing them in two to five years, according to the report. Healthy beech trees can live up to 300 years. The Holden Arboretum in Kirtland, Ohio, and a company called Bartlett Tree Experts are researching the spread of the disease and experimenting with insecticides to find a cure for the parasite, which originated in Japan. Chemically treating beech trees in forests could prove difficult, however, as large swaths of woodlands are quickly becoming infected. “It’ll be a bear to manage in the wild,” Andrew Loyd, a plant pathologist with Bartlett Tree, told Cleveland.com.
Holden Arboretum has also started a breeding program that provides cuttings for beech clones and seeds for new growth.
Beech trees play a large role in North American forests, producing beech nuts birds and bears rely on, according to the report.
The full report can be found here.
