Update on the situation of beech leaf disease in the USA
In the USA, beech leaf disease caused by Litylenchus crenatae mccannii (EPPO Alert List) is now recorded in 16 states. Recent records include:
- Delaware: first detected in 2023. Since then, it has spread rapidly through much of New Castle County and across the state.
- Vermont: first detected in October 2023 in Windham County. It has since spread to six out of the 14 Vermont counties.
- North Carolina: detected in one county in 2025.
Sources
Delaware Forest Service. Beech Leaf Disease An emerging threat to Delaware's Forests https://agriculture.delaware.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/108/2025/12/Delaware-Forest-Service-1.pdf
Kantor C, Demirel MC, Kantor M (2025) Unveiling the threat of beech leaf disease: lessons from North America. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 8, 1606260. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2025.1606260
Vermont Government website (2026) Beech Leaf Disease in Vermont. https://fpr.vermont.gov/forest/forest-health/beech-leaf-disease (also includes a map for the distribution in the USA by county in 2012-2025)