Butternut Protection

[jon12345]

I recently discovered 3 small butternuts (5-7'  1.5-2" dbh), and am very excited and concerned about their future.  These trees in general seem to be on a downhill slide, due to the canker that infects them.  2 other big butternuts, probably the parents of these, are on their way out..  I had to check the bigger ones out and determined the smaller trees were butternuts, based on bud scars, since I'd never seen any small ones. I also noticed some budding on the older trees, so they probably will make it though another summer.  Hopefully they will bear viable fruit next year so I can increase the stocking level here.

I've looked up a lot on butternut recently and haven't really been able to find any information on how to protect them.  Is this canker spread the same way as  beech scale infects beech?  Would removing the infected trees help, or would disturbing them release spores that could possible infect these young trees?

[SwampDonkey]

Is this canker spread the same way as  beech scale infects beech? 

Spores are carried by birds and possibly insects in the fine branches. From there the spores are spread to other parts of the tree by rainfall.

Would removing the infected trees help, or would disturbing them release spores that could possible infect these young trees?

Infected trees, branches and seed should not be transported. The disease infects trees of all ages.

[source]
http://www.canadiansilviculture.com/spring05/foresthealth.pdf.

[OLD_ JD]

i found this about butternut :(
http://www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca/search/speciesDetails_e.cfm?SpeciesID=793

[jon12345]

The bark is fallin off  :( the branches are snappin off  :( but they are still hangin in there 

I found a spot where squirrels buried a bunch of butternuts in my old sandbox. Talk about motherlode!, there are 15-20 stems coming up in a 1' circle  ;D 

[SwampDonkey]

I'll be planting more this fall in a gravelly area if I have seed from my lawn tree this fall. I found after the first year the growth slows a bit untill a good root system develops. I've got to erect some fine mesh fence around some seedlings this spring to keep the hare from nipping off the terminal leaders.  :