Managing Beech Bark Disease: Evaluating Defects and Reducing Losses

Beech bark disease often produces bark defects that may result in trees being classed erronously as cull. Because of this, sale overruns occur, and sound trees are mistakenly left uncut in the woods. The disease occurs when Nectria fungi attack and kill bark predisposed by the beech scale. It results in several types of bark defects on residual trees that do not succumb or on young trees developing in the presence of the causal complex. Defects can be more or less serious depending on the depth of infection. A sawmill study showed that on trees with recognizable, superficial defects, yield is little affected. When the cambium is damaged, however, defects may lead to losses in lumber yield or quality. Understanding how defects develop helps in estimating volume, identifying high risk trees, and making prescriptions that leave stands more resistant to beech bark disease. North. J. Appl. For. 4:28-33, Mar. 1987.