Thousand Cankers Disease found in East Tennessee

The Tennessee Department of Ag. confirmed the presence of Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD), which is a progressive disease that kills a black walnut tree within two to three years after initial infection. The disease-causing fungus, Geosmithia morbida, is transmitted by a small twig beetle. Branches and trunk tissue are killed by repeated infections by the fungus, as the beetles carry the fungus into new bark cambium tissue.

Controls for thousand cankers disease have not yet been identified and their development will require better understanding of the biology of the walnut twig beetle and the canker-producing Geosmithia sp. Rapid detection and removal of infected trees currently remains the primary means of managing thousand cankers disease.