Walnut Thousand Canker Disease now in native range

[dboyt]

It was announced at last week's National Walnut Council meeting that the Walnut Thousand Canker Disease has been diagnosed in Tennessee, well within black walnut's native range.  This disease is a combination of a tiny beetle and a previously unknown fungus, which has a 100% mortality rate.  It has the potential to wipe out this species.  It is critical for as many people in the wood industry as possible to learn about the disease and how to prevent it from migrating into Black Walnut's native range.  It would be tragic to see the black walnut suffer the same fate as the chestnut, elm, and ash.

Here is a link to an article on the disease, as it appeared in Green Horizons.

http://agebb.missouri.edu/agforest/archives/v14n3/gh1.htm

I will post more updates when there is more news available.


Thank you.

Dave Boyt
Vice President, Missouri Walnut Council
Managing Editor, Sawmill & Woodlot Management Magazine
(417) 455-2698

[Autocar]

Sounds pretty serious, I hope there wrong about it . It is hard to get some campers to understand the importance on firewood from different areas. That's how we got the ash borer in our area interstate 75 and a rest area east of us twelve miles.  :-\

[Ron Wenrich]

I know that the campers have spread lots of diseases.  But, I have yet to see anyone try to control the movement of logs or lumber.  We have an EAB quarantine area to our north.  We don't buy logs or timber there, but there are several companies that do.  Technically, they are outside the quarantine zone if their mill comes sits outside the area.  But, they could get logs inside.

Those logs aren't inspected and can quite easily go into non-quarantined areas.  That's also the case for pulpwood, chips, bark and any other forest product.  Firewood is a really good example since commercial producers will ship to vast areas.

There are ways around inspections.  If you're quarantined for ash, just write the invoice up for a different species.  When an inspector shows up, show them a different load.  I know of a couple of guys that do that.  Not ethical or legal, but its being done.

[Redonthehead]

Already jumped into TN?  well heck fire. I was going to plant a couple thousand walnuts next spring for the future grandkids - maybe better look into something else - black cherry?

[indiaxman1]

That is real bad news....planted a bunch of white walnuts (butternuts) years ago....fungus got them...few of that species left in Ind....watched my dogwoods get decimated by a fungus....still dying off...now they are recommending cutting our Ash.....it appears most of this loss is foreign born invasive species....I suggest we check our borders (not just for illegals), but on all shipments (esp Asia)...

[metalspinner]

The local news just had a report on it last wek...

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=129618

I have been seeing lots of walnuts dying this past year -  especially in north Knoxville.  This is from the road driving by in my truck.  So I'm not sure if it can be attributed to this fungus or not.  But there are lots of them dead around here.

[petefrom bearswamp]

All this stuff that has come from abroad over the years, Chestnut Blight, Dutch Elm disease, Emerald ash Borer,  Asian longhorn beetle, Gypsy Moth etc
I wonder what we have exported to other countries/continents and if our diseases have decimated other lands ?
Pete

[indiaxman1]

Don't know about diseases, but we sent em mcdonalds and soft drinks....that will get em :D

[jim king]

Exporting wood into the US:

Imported wood must have a sanitary certificate and inspected by the Health Dept. of the exporting country.

There is another rule which is a bit strange but a factor.  You can ship a package of lumber with a sanitary certificate but the pallet or crating material falls under the ISPM 15 law which states thet that they must be treated by high temperature or bromide gas and stamped as such .

The USDA also inspects many but not all incoming shipments and if they see a bug it is an expensive proposition for them to quarantine the shipment and fumigate it.

As I understand the crateing law came into effect because the Chinese were shipping infected crates all over the world and many of those bugs stuck and lived in the countries such as the US and Canada causing a lot of harm.

The Chinese here still export to China without anyregard to these laws.

[Ron Scott]

Michigan Races to Keep Out Thousand Cankers Disease

Lansing State Journal (September 7) - Michigan has an estimated 8.5 million black walnuts, most of them in the southern Lower Peninsula. Since May, the state has had a quarantine that restricts the movement of walnut logs, green lumber, and nursery stock from Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Tennessee.

The E-Forester