Laurel Wilt Disease in Arkansas

Laurel wilt (Raffaelea lauricola sp. nov. T.C. Harr., Fraedrich & Aghayeva (Ascomycota: Ophiostomatales)) is a disease caused by a fungal pathogen affecting many plants in the laurel family (Lauraceae). The laurel wilt fungus is native to Asia and apparently entered the U.S. in solid wood packing material infested with redbay ambrosia beetles (Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff (Coleoptera: Curculionidea: Scolytinae)) which carry the fungus. The disease was first confirmed in Arkansas in 2015. Some trees or shrubs in the laurel family are more susceptible than others, although susceptibility of the different laurels is not well understood yet. Three trees and shrubs from the laurel family currently grow in Arkansas: sassafras (Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees), northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin (L.) Blume), and southern spicebush (Lindera melissifolia (Walter) Blume).

What is laurel wilt disease?

Laurel wilt disease is a fungal disease spread by the redbay ambrosia beetle
The laurel wilt disease fungus is believed to be native to Asia
Sassafras is Arkansas’s only native tree susceptible to laurel wilt disease
Laurel wilt disease was first identified in North America around Savannah, GA, in 2002
Laurel wilt disease was first identified in Arkansas in 2015

Read more about laurel wilt disease
Image courtesy of James Johnson, Georgia Forestry Commission, Bugwood.org

Symptoms of laurel wilt disease

What are the symptoms of laurel wilt disease?

Leaves in the upper crown droop and turn reddish to purplish
In later stages the entire crown wilts
Stiff strings of “sawdust” protruding from the bark
Redbay ambrosia beetle galleries immediately under the bark
Dark fungal infections in the sapwood

Image courtesy of Ronald F. Billings, Texas A&M Forest Service, Bugwood.org

Redbay ambrosia beetles

Who spreads laurel wilt disease?

Laurel wilt disease is spread by the redbay ambrosia beetle, a native of Asia
Redbay ambrosia beetle probably came to the U.S. in solid wood packing material
People move laurel wilt disease by moving logs infested with redbay ambrosia beetles

Image courtesy of R. Scott Cameron, Advanced Forest Protection, Inc., Bugwood.org

Find out more about how laurel wilt disease is spread

Sassafras

How will laurel wilt disease affect you?

Loss of sassafras from our ecosystems and yards
Loss of the endangered pondberry
Even though they are not an Arkansas crop, potential loss of avocados from store shelves

Image courtesy of Dow Gardens, Bugwood.org

Learn more about the impact of laurel wilt disease on you

Redbay ambrosia beetle damage

What can we do about laurel wilt disease?

Don’t move sassafras wood with bark still attached
Report sassafras showing laurel wilt disease symptoms to your county extension agent
Currently there is no treatment for laurel wilt disease

Image courtesy of Ronald F. Billings, Texas A&M Forest Service, Bugwood.org

Learn to prevent the spread of laurel wilt disease

Where is laurel wilt disease?

Laurel wilt disease is native to Asia
Laurel wilt is spread through the Atlantic coastal plain from North Carolina to Georgia
Laurel wilt disease is spread through most of Florida
Laurel wilt occurs at scattered sites in Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas

Image courtesy of Chip Bates, Georgia Forestry Commission

Find the locations of laurel wilt disease infestations