Marc Tapper was called upon to introduce our guest speaker Mr. Michael Frilot (Arbort Solutions)

Topic: Thousand Cankers Disease - How Drought affect Trees

Michael Frilot has been in the business of plant protection for many years. He is an ISA Certified

Arborist.   According to him, the disease called dieback have had a profound effect on the eastern black walnut trees especially during the last decade. The culprit is a tiny bark beetle.  It creates numerous galleries under the bark of affected branches and this causes fungal infections and canker formation. It has been discovered that the fungus and the beetles only occur on walnut species.  Any infested tree is expected to die in a short period of about three years of being infested.

 

The thousand cankers disease has been found in about nine states in the western part of the country and since 2010, the beetle and the fungus has been discovered in the Great Plains.  It is projected that this disease will spread throughout the eastern forest because of the widespread of eastern black walnut.  

There are three symptoms of this disease.  These are:

1.  Branch mortality.

2.  Numerous small cankers on the branches and the bole.

3.  Evidence of tiny bark beetles.                                                                                                                                                           (culled from pest alert Newsletter United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry).

 

For more information on thousand cankers disease, please contact Michael Frilot at: Michael@masarborsolutions.com   

 

Michael Parenteau won the raffle.

 

Meeting ended at 1:20 p.m.