Save Iconic Beech Trees From Extinction

Target: Homer Wilkes, Under-Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment

Goal: Secure more funding for managing and treating beech leaf disease.

A disease that was first discovered a little over a decade ago is wiping out forests that have endured for centuries. Beech leaf disease can fell mature beech trees within years and saplings within months. The condition is caused by a microscopic worm that feeds on the leaves. And if left unchecked, the disease could drive one of America’s most important forest ecosystems to the brink of extinction.

Beech trees are integral as nesting and foraging areas for a large variety of birds. And an even broader spectrum of wildlife feed on the beech nuts the trees produce. Black bears in particular seem to benefit greatly from healthy beech forests. But across states from Rhode Island to Michigan, these essential trees are exhibiting tell-tale signs of disease, including distortion and discoloration of the leaves, branch and leaf shedding, and—eventually—death.

Despite the risks and the disease’s continued spread, research that could offer invaluable insight into fighting the condition and conserving these trees is sorely underfunded. Campaigns to address other threats to plants have benefitted from generous funding. Critics believe that management efforts for beech trees receive so little attention and support because these plants are not important to timber industry special interests.

Sign the petition below to demand more investment in fighting a clear and present danger to American forests.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Dr. Wilkes,

Scientists are unsure how beech leaf disease arrived in America or even of how it spreads so easily. What they do know, however, is the incredibly detrimental damage this parasite-born condition is inflicting on one of the nation’s most ecologically important trees. Wildlife from woodpeckers to black bears rely on beech trees for homes and for sustenance.

Getting ahead of this disease requires the kind of answers researchers now lack. These answers necessitate understanding, and understanding can only come from thorough research. Unfortunately, achieving meaningful research results is nearly impossible in the absence of support and real investment. And more unfortunately still, the scientific community is receiving neither of these aids from a government that willingly hands over millions of dollars to protect trees that special interests chop down.

Please recognize the chaos beech leaf disease has created in just ten years, and please acknowledge its potential to wreak even more destructive havoc on centuries-old forests if given more time. Most importantly, please robustly fund efforts to stop this slow-rolling ecological disaster in its tracks.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Jean Pol Grandmont