Beech Bark Disease Workshop

November 17, 2011

• the native twice- stabbed ladybeetle feeds on the scale insect but not enough to act as a biocontrol

• This tree shows cracking, which may be due to a variety of factors, including stress from scale insect feeding. There is a trace amount of scale present (below)

• There may be staining on the bark for a variety of reasons – many different fungi and other stresses can affect the cambium and cause this colouration.

• This particular tree has the fungus at its root flare (patches of red dots)

• Fungus on smooth bark.• The right side of the tree

has cracking which might be due to stress from scale feeding

• This tree is heavily infected with the fungus

• There are also scattered older- looking cankers that have split open which might be from an earlier wave of the disease

• It’s important to look at the whole tree, as a tree may not have obvious signs of scale or canker at eye level

• Fungal fruiting bodies, with scale evident around the edge of the fungal infection area

• The scale tend to feed in areas where there is no fungus so they can access the living tissue

• This tree is currently infested with the fungus, which is fruiting (long stripe of red on left side of tree).

• It also has signs of older cankers (lumps on right side of tree)

• Native Sirex wasps (above flagging tape) will target dying trees to lay eggs. They inject a fungus for the larva to feed on.

• This tree appears to have been attacked by multiple waves of the disease.

• Older cankers have penetrated into the cambium

• Scale insect is currently present, as are fruiting bodies of the fungus

• This tree is heavily infected.

• It has lots of older cankers, as well as this year’s fungal fruiting bodies

• This tree appears to be uninfected, even though many trees around it are heavily infected.

• The pimples could be due to stress from scale feeding or other stressors

• This tree has old beech bark disease cankers that are very deep (left side)

• It also has a lot of scale on it (right side), feeding on the remaining living tissue.

• This tree is very gnarly, but it’s not due to beech bark disease. Beech has up to 80 fungal pathogens that can affect it.

• It does currently have the scale insects feeding on it.

• More badly infected trees likely hit by multiple waves of the disease.

• This heavily infected tree still has a healthy crown.

• This small tree has a heavy scale infestation.

• When smaller trees have a lot of scale, it indicates that the infestation in the area must be heavy, since they are a smaller target for the insects to hit.

• This is not a laughing matter. ☺