Beech Bark disease

[rhino135]

Does  any body know of the beech bark disease, how long will the tree live.
I have some with the bbd already and just wondering to get rid of it or slow it down.
Any ideas would be great.

Thanks rhino135

[Mark Wentzell]

I don't know much about it, but I don't think there is really anything you can do about it. The trees seem to live for a while but their growth is significantly reduced.

[thecfarm]

I have it almost every one of my trees. I say almost because there is one out there that is smooth bark. I was walking by it and did not know what kind of tree it was until I saw the leafs.  :  I'm just so use to seeing the rough bark with pimples on each beech tree. I had some that was 2 feet across. And rooted in the center.

[g_man]

I know a little because all my beech have it. It is usually an all or none situation. Once in a while you might find a resistant tree. If you do I would keep it. BBD is a two step process. First you will see white blotches about the size of a coin or maybe bigger on the bark. Then after a while (years maybe) you will see the blisters develope. I think it is the combined work of an insect and a pathogen. They seem to live a long time especially if they are growing fairly vigorously in a good site. Mine are best used for firewood. Even the dead ones make good firewood if you get them before they rot. In our northern hardwood forest mix we get to many beech because they root sprout so good. So I try to keep them thinned out to let better stuff grow and also cut the beech brush.

[rhino135]

Thanks for the info, I started cutting some down for fire wood, from what little I have been reading some might live but most will die. Just wondering how fast I should starting the beech.

Thanks again

[thecfarm]

I said rotted in the middle,but I think beech is known for that?? I would not cut them unless I wanted too.

[sparky23]

We have a provincial park up here that had something like 17 000 bush cords taken out of it and put into quarantine because of BBD.

[Peter Drouin]

I have a lot like that too, I make firewood and grade stakes with it.

[rhino135]

I started cutting some of the bad ones down for fire wood for this coming winter,just have to keep watch.

Thanks again

[petefrom bearswamp]

Beech is great firewood.
I keep a close eye on mine (I don't have many) and take them when any sign of the disease appears.
will be cutting about 15 or 20 in the next few weeks.
This scale /nectria complex is slowly killing many.
I belong to a property association in the Adirondacks with 3800 acres with beech predominate in about 50 60 percent of the forested portions.
The beech there seems to resist the disease until it is fairly mature the dies pretty rapidly.

[KBforester]

It takes awhile (decades sometimes) to kill a tree. Trees over 10" are more at risk. If you want to handle the disease by the book (there are many books mind you  ;)) cut diseased beech in the summer to reduce sprouting, and apply herbicide to the stump. The last thing you want is for the diseased beech to sprout back. After awhile you will have a diseased beech thicket. Some people prefer just waiting out the disease, or just release the trees they believe are resistant. The disease has been in downeast Maine for longer than anywhere else in the US, and I've seen a huge difference in the sprouting vigor here (low) compared to the Northern Adirondacks where I used to work. My guess is, that over time, the diseased clone will eventually wear itself out. But that likely means waiting 100+ years.

[SwampDonkey]

I've seen some stands of beech so badly diseased and so much rot in the stem, with maybe 1 or 2 live limbs left dead tops. Those ones aren't even good firewood, they are mostly rotten. One site not far from here was a 50 acre patch of woods surrounded by fields. They high graded out all the maple and left all the junk beech. It was obvious when you seen the stumps.