Beech Leaf Disease in Northeast Ohio

A healthy beech tree

If there’s a beech tree on your property here in northeast Ohio, you may have noticed some changes. The leaves may have been curling, withering, and drying long before fall foliage changes should begin. Or maybe you’ve been noticing dark lines on beech tree leaves.

Both are signs of what is being called beech leaf disease (BLD).

First discovered in northeast Ohio in 2012, it has now been confirmed in nine Ohio counties, two other states and Canada. While the symptoms have a name, no cause is known – which means that there is not yet a way to treat this disease. Arborists, horticulturists, the USDA Forest Service, Ohio Division of Forestry, Ohio Department of Agriculture, Holden Arboretum, and Ohio State University have all been working to determine the cause and how to prevent or treat it, but so far to no avail.

Here at Independent Tree, we’re fully aware of this disease and how it is affecting your trees – we see trees affected by it every week. We’re keeping abreast of all of the latest developments as they are released so we can help your beech trees as soon as there’s an effective treatment.

Dark stripes between leaf veins are an early sign of beech leaf disease, clearly visible in this example from a Northeast Ohio property.

How to tell if your beech tree has BLD

If you have a beech tree, examine the leaves. Early signs of beech leaf disease are dark stripes or bands on the leaves. You’ll notice this between the veins of the leaves. The best way to view this is from underneath, with the sunlight shining through. The stripes on the leaves might eventually begin to pucker, becoming thicker than the leaves themselves.

Later, lighter stripes may also appear, and then the leaves begin to shrivel.

In larger trees, the disease tends to start at the lower branches and move upwards.

The distinctive striping pattern of beech leaf disease is most easily identified when viewing leaves from underneath with sunlight shining through.

What You Can Do About Beech Leaf Disease

While beech leaf disease research is ongoing, treatment options are now available that can help protect your trees. Independent Tree offers macro-injection treatments for larger beech trees (10 inches and up) using Arbotect 20-s, which provides up to 2 years of protection. For smaller trees under 10 inches, we use a series of three basal bark applications with Bio-SAR applied 30 days apart during spring and summer.

Important note: These treatments are still considered experimental as research into beech leaf disease continues. While they show promise in protecting trees, results cannot be guaranteed as scientists are still studying this disease.

Treatment timing is critical – applications should be completed between spring and early summer for optimal effectiveness.

However, keep in mind that maintaining your trees through professional arboricultural practices and building the health of the soil around them are the best ways to keep your beech trees strong and vigorous. Additionally, if you have other types of trees that are susceptible to diseases or pests, be sure that they are properly treated and pruned to keep them as healthy as possible.

Latest Developments in BLD

Scientists continue researching the cause of beech leaf disease, with evidence pointing to microscopic nematodes as a likely culprit. While research into the exact cause continues, arborists have developed treatment protocols that show promise in protecting affected trees.

For more information and to see pictures of trees that have been affected by beech leaf disease, you can view this informational handout from the Ohio Division of Forestry.

Other helpful articles can be found below:

Washington Post, July 28, 2018

Total Landscape Care, August 20, 2018