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Warning: Thousand Cankers Disease in Black Walnut Trees
If we buy wood from
Western states on Craigslist, eBay, etc., we should make sure
that it has no bark, as the beetle is present only in the bark.
If we buy lumber in person from someone in the Western states,
to request that logs and/or boards be de-barked prior to loading
them, and moving them to the Midwest.
Another crucial precaution: do NOT move firewood from
infected areas to areas in which the disease has not been found.
Written and provided by
Al Navas
(Sandal Woods)
I cannot imagine the
possibility of black walnut (Juglans nigra)
disappearing from my shop, any more than I can imagine
not having a shop to practice the craft I love. But that
is exactly what could happen if the pest that spreads
thousand cankers disease has its way. Already, the
disease has been devastating to black walnut trees in
Western states. Please read about this on the Missouri
Department of Agriculture’s
web site. Lonnie Messbarger (e-mail: lonnie.messbarger@mdc.mo.gov), the Resource Forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) in the St Joseph, MO office, visited us during our Woodworkers Guild meeting last night. He talked about the huge threat posed by the walnut twig beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis) and an associated fungus (Geosmithia sp. nov.). I invite you read this paper from MDC, and to help spread the word about this threat. Although the disease has not been found in “…the native range black walnut trees…” in Missouri or other Midwestern states, much work is concentrated on finding answers, and solutions. Please help spread the word; Lonnie asked we contact the Department of Conservation Forester to arrange for sampling and testing of suspect trees. The disease starts near the top of the tree, and spreads downward, ultimately killing the tree with thousands of cankers where the beetle penetrated the bark.
What we can do as
woodworkers - based on additional feedback from Lonnie:
Posted February 10, 2010 by Al Navas (Sandal Woods)
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