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Pest & disease research
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April 29, 2025
New Study Confirms Beech Leaf Disease Threatens European Beech Trees, Too
KIRTLAND, OHIO — A new study from Holden Forests & Gardens and a team at USDA Agricultural Research Service confirms that beech leaf disease—a fast-spreading disease already devastating American beech... more
April 28, 2025
A New Way to Detect Beech Leaf Disease: Rainwater Running Down Tree Trunks
KIRTLAND, OHIO — How do you detect a pathogen that lives way, way up in a tree’s canopy? A novel method for detecting beech leaf disease from the ground—using rainwater... more
April 23, 2025
Beech Leaf Disease-Causing Nematode More Widespread Than Visible Symptoms Suggest, New Study Finds
By Anna Funk, PhD, Science Communications Specialist
KIRTLAND, OHIO — Researchers at Holden Forests & Gardens have confirmed that the nematode responsible for beech leaf disease (BLD), Litylenchus crenatae ssp. mccannii, is present in forest stands across... more
March 24, 2025
30% of Beech Trees Killed by Beech Leaf Disease, New Study Shows
By Anna Funk, PhD, Science Communications Specialist
Long-term data reveal 30% mortality and alarming growth slowdown in the native beech trees in northeastern Ohio, near the epicenter of beech leaf disease. KIRTLAND, OH — A decade after... more
June 21, 2024
Continuing our Work on Beech Leaf Disease
By Sarah Kyker, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate
by: David Burke and Sarah Kyker If you live in northeastern Ohio, you probably have heard of beech leaf disease (BLD), which was first spotted in Lake County in 2012.... more
June 7, 2024
Seeking to Understand Disease Resistance in Crabapples
By Maris Hollowell, Emily Lewis, Na Wei
Unseasonably warm spring weather threw a curveball at researchers at the Holden Arboretum, who study the flowering time, pollinators, and microbiomes of crabapple trees. The crabapple plot at the arboretum... more
May 22, 2024
Beech Leaf Disease Research Update: The Impact on Microbial Communities
By Anna Funk, PhD, Science Communications Specialist
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (KIRTLAND) May 21, 2024 – Beech leaf disease is an emerging threat to American beech trees in the Great Lakes Region and northeastern U.S. Caused by a non-native,... more
March 13, 2024
Monitoring Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Colonization
By Danny Dlugos, PhD, Senior Research Specialist - Plant Breeding
Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is one of the most recognized trees in Northeast Ohio. Native to the eastern United States and Canada, it ranges from Nova Scotia south along the... more
January 25, 2024
Garlic Mustard and Its Newly Introduced Aphid
Garlic mustard is an herb covering forest floors across North America. However, it wasn’t always found here. Garlic mustard is an invasive species brought to the United States from Europe... more
January 9, 2024
Protecting Eastern Hemlocks from Tiny Tree-Killing Invaders
By Albert Jackson, Conservation Seasonal
The Holden Conservation Department is on the hunt for tiny tree-killing pests. During the early and mid-20th centuries, two non-native tree dwelling insects were unintentionally introduced to the eastern United... more
April 28, 2023
Snowballing Effects of Beech Leaf Disease Hurt Helpful Root Fungi
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Severe beech leaf disease infestation hurts trees’ relationships with helpful root mutualists, ectomycorrhizal fungi. The American beech, Fagus grandifolia, is a North American staple and the dominant... more
April 25, 2023
Signs of Beech Leaf Disease found in one of Holden’s Most Popular Trees
By Sandi Cesarov, Horticulturist
Beech trees are known for their smooth gray bark and the deep shade they provide. The American Beech is an important part of our local native beech/maple forest, which is... more
October 21, 2022
Ash Trees Are Exploding with Seeds; Researchers Are Capitalizing on It
It’s a mast year for ash trees. Holden researchers are launching a new initiative to collect ash seeds from around the region. When conditions are just right, certain trees will... more
August 26, 2022
Can I save my beech tree? And other beech care questions, answered
By David J. Burke, PhD, Vice President for Science and Conservation
You asked, and Holden Forest & Garden’s beech tree expert, David Burke, answered. By David Burke & Anna Funk If you live anywhere near northeastern Ohio, you may have noticed... more
August 26, 2022
Why you should trim your beech trees in September
By David J. Burke, PhD, Vice President for Science and Conservation
By: David Burke & Anna Funk Beech trees looking a little rough? Ours, too. Beech leaf disease is prevalent in our area. You’ll know it by the green stripes (called... more
August 12, 2022
Bird Banding & Beech Leaf Disease
By Mike Watson, Conservation Biologist
Beech Leaf Disease (BLD) was first documented in 2012 in Lake County, Ohio and has now been found in 17 of Ohio’s counties, 10 states, and in Canada. BLD can... more
October 1, 2021
Beech Leaf Disease and Forest Fungi: Healthy trees support healthy fungal communities
By Claudia Bashian-Victoroff, MS, Research Specialist
Arboreta play an active role in studying a wide range of tree diseases and the pathogens and parasites that cause them. Holden is no exception. Work from our arboretum and... more
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