Energy and Environment Cabinet

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Division of Forestry

Disease Threats

These are some of the major diseases that impact the health of Kentucky's forests.

Annosus Root Rot can attack all pine species in Kentucky, but prefers loblolly, eastern white and shortleaf pines. The fungus attacks the root system and will eventually kill the tree.

Bacterial Leaf Scorch attacks red oaks, Sycamores, maples, elms and sweetgums. The fungus causes defoliation, dieback and eventually death.

Chestnut Blight is a canker disease that infects branches and stems quickly and in most cases continue to develop until the stem is girdled and killed; then they continue to colonize the dead tree.

Dogwood Anthracnose is a disease that attacks flowering dogwood and is caused by
an unknown pathogen. Once infected, the branches die back to the main stem,
resulting in cankers and eventually tree death.

Dutch Elm Disease is a vascular wilt that is carried by elm bark beetles and is transferred from plant to plant through root grafts often leading to dieback and eventually death.

Hypoxylon Canker causes a white rot in the heartwood of hardwoods that contributes to the premature death of trees stressed by drought, construction damage or other problems.

Oak Decline occurs from a combination of several undesirable environmental conditions, including drought, air pollution, construction damage and poor soil conditions. Tree death can result after several years of decline.

Oak Wilt attacks stressed oaks by transferring the pathogen underground through root grafts and above ground by nitidulid beetles carrying spores to healthy trees.

Sudden Oak Death is not yet in Kentucky, but is anticipated that all species of oak will be susceptible to this disease, including white, northern red, bur, pin, scarlet and black oaks.

Verticillium Wilt is normally a soil-borne fungus that causes a vascular wilt in maples, crabapples, poplars and over 300 other woody specimens.

Energy and Environment Cabinet

Division of Forestry Disease Threats

Division of Forestry

Disease Threats