Beech tree disease - Ask Extension
I noticed curling of leaves on a large beech tree on our property outside. We are worried that this is beech tree disease. We want to know what to do,...
Knowledgebase
Beech tree disease #904257
Asked June 04, 2025, 10:24 AM EDT
I noticed curling of leaves on a large beech tree on our property outside. We are worried that this is beech tree disease. We want to know what to do, we have many other beech trees and we do not want the disease to spread.
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
It's hard to tell from the photo if the symptoms are due to Beech Leaf Disease. You can use the information on the linked page to look for the telltale dark banding between leaf veins, visible from below when the leaves are backlit by the sky. Other symptoms often confused for BLD are caused by aphids, mites, or environmental stress, and are conditions not usually serious threats to tree health (unless the roots are affected by soil regrading, flooding, herbicide exposure, or something else significant).
Research is ongoing as to how the condition spreads (although called a "disease," it's caused by a microscopic nematode, not a fungus or bacterium), so we don't yet know how to prevent it from being transmitted from tree to tree. Arborists are experimenting with treatments (oddly, fungicides) that might suppress the nematodes or cure a tree, but this is still being investigated and might not be effective or practical from a cost perspective for all situations.
We recommend that you have the tree(s) evaluated by a certified arborist or licensed tree expert, especially once that is experienced with beech diagnosis and/or BLD in particular. Arborists do have to pass a standardized exam and continue their training each year, but not all have equal amounts of diagnostic experience, so you can inquire before hiring. Plus, the opinion of a second arborist would be valuable if one recommends an expensive treatment or procedure.
Miri
Research is ongoing as to how the condition spreads (although called a "disease," it's caused by a microscopic nematode, not a fungus or bacterium), so we don't yet know how to prevent it from being transmitted from tree to tree. Arborists are experimenting with treatments (oddly, fungicides) that might suppress the nematodes or cure a tree, but this is still being investigated and might not be effective or practical from a cost perspective for all situations.
We recommend that you have the tree(s) evaluated by a certified arborist or licensed tree expert, especially once that is experienced with beech diagnosis and/or BLD in particular. Arborists do have to pass a standardized exam and continue their training each year, but not all have equal amounts of diagnostic experience, so you can inquire before hiring. Plus, the opinion of a second arborist would be valuable if one recommends an expensive treatment or procedure.
Miri
