Maryland
Check your trees: Beech Leaf Disease found in Maryland
BALTIMORE — Maryland officials are asking residents to keep an eye on the greenery after the presence of a tree-killing disease was confirmed in Harford County.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture said it’s a new disease affecting all beech species, including American beech. It has been found in at least 10 nearby states, including Pennsylvania, Virginia and New Jersey.
Beech Leaf Disease is associated with a nematode, Litylenchus crenatae maccannii.
The disease, the department said, causes a dark banding or striping between the leaf veins and can kill understory trees in two years and mature trees in six to ten years.
“Trees with severe symptoms are heavily banded with yellowing, shrunken, and thickened leaves,” the department said.
Residents can report symptoms of the disease to the Tree Health Survey app or reported by email to fpm.mda@maryland.gov.
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