Beech bark disease has been killing American beech trees in eastern North America since the late 1890s. In northern New England, New York, and the Maritimes where the disease is most severe, groups of disease resistant trees occasionally occur. Genetic studies reveal that trees in groups are families, and distribution patterns suggest that they were “planted” by blue jays.

Related Research:

• American Beech Resistance to Cryptococcus fagisuga (1983)
• Forest Insect & Disease Leaflet 75 (1983)
• Dispersal of Beech Nuts by Blue Jays in Fragmented Landscapes (1985)
• Spatial and Temporal Development of Beech Bark Disease in the Northeastern United States (2005)
• Beech Bark Disease: The Oldest "New" Threat to American Beech in the United States (2010)
• The Emergence of Beech Leaf Disease in Ohio: Probing Plant Microbiome in Search of the Cause (2020)
• Beech Leaf Disease Symptoms Caused by Newly Recognized Nematode Subspecies Litylenchus crenatae mccannii (Anguinata) Described From Fagus grandifolia in North America (2020)

Scientists:

• Jennifer Koch, Research Biologist, Northern Research Station, Delaware, Ohio
• Laura Kenefic, Research Forester, Northern Research Station, Bradley, Maine
• Dave Houston, Principal Plant Pathologist (Retired), Northern Research Station, Hamden, Connecticut

In this episode, we used the following recording from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: ML526793201 (Kendrick DeBoer, Alberta, Canada)

Produced by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.

Want more information? Visit us at https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/nrs/products/multimedia/podcasts/forestcast-season-2-backcross-episode-6-bonus-how-bird-influences

Questions or ideas for the show? Connect with Jon at: jonathan.yales@usda.gov