Beech Bark Disease Newest Invasive In Upper Midwest - Will Kill Most Michigan Beech Trees

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Tracy Casselman runs a hand over the smooth, gray bark of an American beech, noting the scratch marks left by black bears that have clambered up the tree to munch its nuts, rich in fat and protein. Perhaps 80 years old, a couple of feet in diameter and 60 feet high, the beech appears robust, like many of its neighbors scattered near a two-track road in the backcountry of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. But appearances are deceiving. These trees likely are doomed.

"Take a good look," says Casselman, manager of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge. "In five years, these trees won't be here."

Beech bark disease has taken hold in the refuge, a dagger aimed at the heart of a stalwart native hardwood. The American beech has relatively little economic value for people but plays a starring role in the natural drama acted out daily in Michigan's northern forests.

Scientists expect the disease eventually will kill most of the state's beeches, changing the environment in ways as yet uncertain. For example, it could affect populations of bears and smaller mammals that feed on beech nuts -- and that hunters enjoy pursuing.

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