Image by DEC Forest Health Research Lab

Oak Wilt

New Publication from the DEC Forest Health Research Lab

DEC Forest Health Research Lab’s pathologist, Kelsey McLaughlin, recently coauthored a paper in the journal Environmental DNA which examines how to better use trapped nitidulid beetles to detect oak wilt. Oak wilt is a fungus that can infect all species of oak and can kill mature red oaks in weeks. Nitidulids are small sap-feeding beetles that carry the deadly oak wilt disease from tree to tree.

The Forest Health Research Lab has been testing the use of pheromone baited traps to catch the beetles so they can be tested for oak wilt DNA. Finding oak wilt DNA on trapped beetles lets DEC Forest Health staff know that the oak wilt fungus is present in an area before infected trees are observed. This information can be crucial in catching new oak wilt cases early.

In this study, DEC Forest Health staff partnered with Natural Resources Canada, Michigan Technological University, the US Forest Service, and diagnostic labs in the US and Canada to compare two laboratory methods for detecting oak wilt DNA on nitidulid beetles. They found that both methods were effective in detecting oak wilt DNA, but one method (qPCR) could detect lower amounts of DNA.

They also found that testing small groups of nitidulids improved detection results, rather than testing all the insects in a trap at once. These results give researchers valuable insight on improving the effectiveness of nitidulid beetle trapping and testing to detect oak wilt.

Read the full article.