Beech Leaf Disease Update December 2025
Science-Based Protection for Your Beech Trees from Certified Arborists and Plant Biologists Beech leaf disease is killing trees across southeastern Pennsylvania. American beech, European beech, copper beech, weeping beech—all are susceptible, but damage in our area to American beech is astounding. Saplings can die within two years. Mature trees decline over seven to ten years. But there is now an effective treatment, and Burkholder Plant Health Care has the scientific expertise to deliver it. Understanding Beech Leaf Disease Beech leaf disease is caused by Litylenchus crenatae mccannii , a microscopic foliar nematode first identified in Ohio in 2012. The disease has since spread to all 67 Pennsylvania counties and continues to intensify in severity. The nematodes inhabit leaf buds and feed on developing tissue, causing characteristic symptoms: Dark green banding between leaf veins, most visible when looking up through the canopy Leaves becoming thick, lea...
