The North Carolina Forest Service has confirmed the presence of laurel wilt in Beaufort and Greene counties, marking the first detection of this tree-killing disease in these areas. This discovery brings the total number of affected counties in North Carolina to 21.
Laurel wilt is a serious threat to plants in the laurel family, including sassafras, redbay, swampbay, pondberry, pondspice, and spicebush. The disease is particularly evident during winter when infected redbay trees retain their leaves even after dying.
Jim Moeller, a forest health specialist with the N.C. Forest Service, stated: “This winter, we surveyed more than 1,700 miles across 11 counties, spanning more than 43,000 acres, looking for signs of laurel wilt. We detected the destructive disease in western Greene County, coming out of Wayne County, and in Beaufort County along the Bay City Highway near the Pamlico County line. So, we’ll be keeping an eye on its progression.”
The fungus responsible for laurel wilt is spread by the invasive redbay ambrosia beetle. Originally from southeastern Asia and first detected in the U.S. near Savannah, Georgia in 2004, this beetle has since expanded its range to 12 states from Texas to Virginia. While beetles travel short distances between trees naturally, human transportation of firewood facilitates their long-distance spread.
Female beetles carry the fungus into trees where they bore tunnels and lay eggs. The fungal spores then grow within these tunnels blocking water movement which causes wilting and eventual death of the tree within weeks or months.
Symptoms include drooping reddish-purple foliage and frass toothpicks at entry holes on stems. Removing bark may reveal black streaks in outer wood.
Counties currently affected by laurel wilt include Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland among others.
There are no effective treatments for laurel wilt yet; insecticides have failed against beetle attacks while fungicides are costly and require repeated applications. Prevention efforts focus on slowing spread through local or treated firewood use and reporting suspected cases to local NCFS county rangers.
Homeowners with dead redbay trees should keep them onsite rather than moving them offsite or to landfills; proper disposal includes cutting/chipping or burning wood onsite following local/state ordinances with necessary permits available online at https://apps.ncagr.gov/burnpermits/.
Recent confirmations came from pathologists at N.C. State University’s Plant Disease and Insect Clinic.
The N.C. Forest Service’s Forest Health Branch continues monitoring invasive pest spread urging public reports via contact information found at www.ncforestservice.gov/contacts/. A map detailing statewide detections can be accessed at www.ncagr.gov/divisions/nc-forest-service/Map_LWTracking/download?attachment.
Further details about laurel wilt are available under Forest Health section links on www.ncforestservice.gov along with county ranger contacts.
