Playing out in the background of the rather apocalyptic and very visible destruction of the East End’s native pitch pines has been an equally devastating disease affecting beech trees, both American and European, called beech leaf disease. For the last two years, attentive residents living near beech forests or on properties with beech trees, have noticed their struggle. At last week’s East Hampton Town Board work session, Mark Abramson, assistant environmental protection director in the town’s Natural Resources Department, explained how the town was prepared to help residents remove dangerous trees, without running afoul of clearing restrictions.
“It’s similar to what we did for the pine beetle,” said Mr. Abramson. Andy Drake, a senior environmental analyst in the Land Acquisition Department and certified International Society of Arborculture arborist, “will go to a site, flag a hazard tree, and if the tree seems like it’s going to be a hazard to the property or structure, then we’ll allow the homeowner to remove it. If they don’t disturb the understory, it won’t be counted as cleared land.”
In other words, homeowners can’t remove a beech tree and then replace it with sod or some nonnative vegetation. Instead, they should alert the Natural Resources Department before removing a tree, and leave the ground beneath it alone, allowing saplings to push through and brush to remain.
“A majority of all beech trees have been affected,” Mr. Drake told the board, and affected trees have about a 90 percent mortality rate. “It’s yet another threat to our native landscape and environment.”
“We saw with the pine beetle destruction an enormous loss of habitat for other creatures,” said Councilman Tom Flight. “There are some recommendations; while you can’t replant beech trees, in areas where there is significant loss of forest, planting alternatives — there are some hickory varietals, some oak — have we given any consideration to that?” he asked. He questioned whether homeowners should be required to plant in-kind saplings if they clear beech trees. Doing so may help re-establish the tree canopy in decades to come.
“Our department and the Natural Resources Department always recommend planting native,” said Mr. Drake. “Whether it be eastern red cedar, white or black oak, or hickory, native trees should be planted in areas of loss.”
“We always encourage planting native trees,” seconded Mr. Abramson. If a resident has lost a lot of beech trees, he said the homeowner could consult with the town and get recommendations. He said, however, that planting natives is not required.
American beech trees play a very important role in the diet of many native bird species, like titmice, chickadees, blue jays, and nuthatches. According to the Douglas Tallamy book, “Bringing Nature Home,” they’re the hosts for over 100 species of caterpillar and moths, which in turn, become food for the nestlings of those birds. Their dead snags provide nesting habitat for red bellied and downy woodpeckers. Mammals like the eastern gray squirrel and eastern chipmunks also rely on their nuts. Planting other nut-producing native deciduous trees such as oaks and hickories will help these species supplement the loss to their diet.
Beech leaf disease was first discovered in Ohio in 2012 and has rapidly spread to the Northeast. A microscopic worm, called a nematode, invades the tree buds, preventing them from leafing out correctly and reducing the tree’s ability to photosynthesize and get nutrients. “Striation of the leaves is a clear indicator of this problem,” said Mr. Drake. There is no known treatment for the disease on a large scale.
So, apart from being a problem for homeowners, it’s a forestry issue. While homeowners may try to save a tree here and there, doing so requires “gallons and gallons of chemicals,” according to Mr. Drake. One that has shown some initial success is called Fluopyram, which is also known as Broadform, but it is problematic and has previously been banned in Suffolk County. It lingers in soil and water and widespread use would be detrimental.
The town has a few large stands of American beech. One is concentrated east of Accabonac Road extending east to Albert’s Landing, another is at Stony Hill in Amagansett, and there are two in Montauk: one in the southwest corner of Fort Pond Bay, just south of Navy Road, and another in the northeast quadrant of the bay, bisected by Flamingo Road. There is likely nothing that can be done to save these large stands.
Arborists hope that disease-resistant trees emerge. If you have a beech tree that is faring well relative to surrounding trees, the town suggested contacting Rachel Kappler, a forest health coordinator with Holden Forests and Gardens, at [email protected]. She is hoping such trees could play a role in a breeding program.
Ms. Kappler did not respond to emails requesting a comment about her program.
