Inspect Black Walnut trees regularly . . .

[TexasTimbers]

I know many of us sawyer & logger types are aware of the 1000 Canker Disease attacking Black Walnut, but I think it's a good idea for a reminder to woodworkers as well, since most of you often interact with sawyers and loggers. Also, many of you own property & perhaps have some BW that you can keep an eye on. Early detectionn is critical to contain the spread of this terrible blight.

It really bums me out to think we could lose this wonderful species which is so closely linked to our American woodworking culture. This disease has the potential to become worse even than the EAB which has killed tens of millions of our Ash trees. It's not a stretch to say that BW may go the way of the American Chestnut. So we all need to do what we can to try and prevent this, if not at least postpone the demise of this species.

Dave Boyt is Vice President of the Missouri Walnut Council and the Editor of Sawmill & Woodlot Management Magazine. He's been active in trying to spread the word to those if us in the timber industry and educate us on what to look for. I will link the article but here's a copy of his latest update as posted on WOODWEB.

"The Walnut Thousand Cankers Disease has recently been diagonsed in Tennessee, well in black walnut's native range. With a 100% mortality rate, it has the potential to wipe out this species. It is critical for as many people in the wood industry as possible to learn about the disease and how to prevent it throughout Black Walnut's native range.

Here is a link to an article, as it appeared in Green Horizons.

Woodworkers, foresters, and loggers can play a key role in preventing its further spread.

Thank you.

Dave Boyt
Vice President, Missouri Walnut Council
Managing Editor, Sawmill & Woodlot Management Magazine"​

Please read this short article to educate yourself about this growing threat. It's 100% fatal once a tree is attacked.

Thousand Cankers Disease: A Red Alert For Walnut






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[Glennbear]

Thanks for the heads up Kevin, scary stuff. :wsad:

 

[CrealBilly]

Wow I did not know that - Thanks Kevin

 

[Kyle]

Not to rain on the parade further, but it must have been the same idiot bringing firewood from home for use at the campsite as well.

http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/5629

"The Tennessee Department of Agriculture today announced the discovery of emerald ash borer (EAB), the first detection of the destructive tree pest in the state. The discovery was made last week at a truck stop in Knox County near the Loudon County line."

 

[TexasTimbers]

Tennessee can't get a break lately. Floods, and now invasion by two of the most prolific tree killers in our time. Makes me want to go back to school and study entomology. I think there's a better chance of saving the trees by understanding what makes these bugs tick in order to make them stop ticking, than by trying the shotgun-insecticide approach.

At one time it appeared that fire ants were going to overrun the nation, but the research being done at the University of Texas since the mid 80's looks like it's going to finally pay off. The ants have a natural enemy which they actually fear - a fly so tiny it makes the ants look large in comparison. They're called Phorid flies, and they kill the ants by the females injecting their eggs into the body of the ant. As the fly larvae grow, it kills the host ant slowly but surely.

Whenever an ant sees a Phorid fly it alerts the colony and the ants do the very thing the female fly is attracted by, they go into a panic and swarm. This causes the female to become sexually aroused which releases a pheromone in the air, causing the male Phorids to breed with the females. This causes the ants to go even more berserk which ramps the Phorid breeding up even more. You should see the slow motion close-ups of these pinhead sized flies injecting their eggs into the thorax (?) of a fire ant with her hypodermic insertion device. The ant noticeably winces, but it's too late.

You can't make this stuff up. It's like the movie Alien on a microcosmic scale. After over two decades of testing and spreading these Phorid colonies in the field, there have been no unintended consequences to other species or the environment. I only bring this up to say there is always hope that the EAB and the Walnut Twig Beetle also have a natural enemy, but researchers have just yet to discover what it is.