Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) Health Management Plan Brianne Looze Tree Pests and Disease
Outline Importance of Sugar Maple Management Objective Site Characteristics and Tree Biology Disease Complex: Asian longhorned beetle Life Cycle Signs and Symptoms Distribution Recommended Control Options Worcester!
Importance of Sugar Maple Ecological Dominant cover type in Northern Hardwoods Economic Sugar products Fall foliage Timber products Pests Asian longhorned beetle Sapstreak
Management Objective Large, naturally regenerated stands Maintain fall foliage tourism Economic value of Maple wood products Urban trees Especially in cities with international shipping ports Sugarbush Either naturally occuring or planted Must remain at or exceed current sap production
Site Characteristics Soil Upland sites Well-drained loams Constant moisture Climate -40 F to 100 F 20-80 in. precipitation 80-260 day growing season Gorham et al. USDA Forest Service
Tree Biology Germination and Establishment Germinate the first year under favorable conditions Seedlings Very shade tolerant; seedlings persist for many years Sprout readily after disturbance Competitors Striped maple, black cherry, yellow-poplar, and Oaks Shade tolerance only equaled by Beech Growth On suitable sites, lives for 300-400 years, reaches more than 30 m tall and 89-102 cm dbh
Asian Longhorned Beetle Anoplophora glabripennis (Motchulsky) Coleoptera Michael Bohne, bugwood.org
Life Cycle Larry Barber, USDA Forest Service Dennis Haugen, USDA Forest Service Kenneth Law, USDA APHIS PPQ
Life Cycle Summary Eggs laid mid-summer, hatch in 2 weeks Larvae bore into tree, overwinter Pupation during the spring Adults hatch late May/early June Kenneth Law, USDA APHIS PPQ
Oviposition notches Pupal frass Exit holes Stripped bark from young twigs Signs Dean Morewood, Health Canada Dennis Haugen, USDA Forest Service
Symptoms Crown dieback Wilted foliage Unseasonable yellowing of leaves PA Dept of Natural Resources Dean Morewood, Health Canada
Impact on the Forest Initially: reduced vascular efficiency Beetles chew through both phloem and xylem Potentially: death due to loss of vascular conductance; loss of urban trees from removal Takes years to kill trees, if at all Has many potential hosts Nowak et al. 2001
Distribution Brought in from China via solid wood packing material Infestations have occurred in: New York (1996) Chicago (1998) New Jersey (2002) Toronto (2003) Worcester, MA (2008) Urban areas with international shipping ports Natural spread: fly up to 1000 m Short range dispersal; human dispersal can cover much greater distances Larry Barber, USDA Forest Service
Disease Development Predisposing Factors: Introduced species: No natural enemies Attacks healthy trees not typical in its native range Ub Urban trees Street trees more susceptible Dennis Haugen, USDA Forest Service
Disease Development Inciting Factor: Invasion of beetle from infested wood Contributing Factors: None reported Takes many yyears after infestation for trees to die Larry Barber, USDA Forest Servic Dean Morewood, Health Canada
Preemptive Measures Avoid planting susceptible species in urban areas! Quarantine Fumigated wood for shipping containers Dennis Haugen, USDA Forest Service Larry Barber, USDA Forest Service Anson Eaglin, USDA APHIS
Education
What to look for Symptom expression Oviposition notches Exit holes Beetle presence Where to look: If trunk is clear: Upper trunk and lower major branches If trunk is not clear: Check the entire trunk for signs Dennis Haugen, USDA Forest Service Kenneth Law, USDA APHIS PPQ
Reactive Measures Small scale: Block oviposition notches Catch adults Remove eggs and larvae Large scale: Remove infested trees Imidacloprid Fungal bands PA Dept of Natural Resources Dennis Haugen, USDA Forest Service
Eradication Michael T. Smith, USDA Forest S
Monitoring Post-Eradication Yearly surveys are critical Chicago declared ALBfree in April 2008 Re-infestations have occurred ALB reported again in Chicago in August 2008 PA Dept of Natural Resources
Worcester Detected by a homeowner in August 2008 How long had it been there? Street Tree Analysis (Oct 08): Assessed 17,113 street trees 79.7% 7% Maple Replacement value: $96,703,673 (100% of trees assessed ) Eradication efforts began January 2009 17oo trees removed winter 2010 Treatment of 38,000 trees began 4/19/2010 Imidacloprid injections Imidacloprid injections Surveying continues 212,000 trees and counting