Helping Our Beech Groves Fight Beech Leaf Disease

by Jack Schneider

Twice last summer, at the end of May and again in early August, Museum volunteers and staff treated our three American beech groves, applying a phosphorous-based solution that has been shown to help trees fight beech leaf disease. The group treated a total of 232 trees with diameters greater than 1” along with numerous small saplings. This was the first application since the disease was found on the Island in 2021; the treatment will be repeated this summer.

A New York State Department of Environmental Conservation research scientist collected baseline data on the percent leafy canopy coverage for a select sample of trees in the three groves. These measurements will be repeated annually, and the accumulated data will be used to measure treatment efficacy. Other studies have shown positive results after five years of treatment.

Kate Stevens and Board member Terry McNamara led the effort, assisted by Harriet McNamara, Molly and Jack Heeney, Walker Reid, and Carter Larson. Special thanks to Courtney Allan and FIDCO for transporting water and equipment to the treatment site using their off-road irrigation vehicle.

Jack Schneider treating beech tree with PolyPhosphite-30 fertilizer.
Photo by Kate Stevens.

According to staff from the New York DEC, this is the only forest-scale treatment being conducted in the State (at least as of last summer), and they have been most supportive of our efforts.