Scorched leaves a growing concern in Sussex County

BYRAM - The leaves cluttering driveways and lawns this weekend may have the rustic look of magenta, orange, and yellow, but a closer examination may reveal a deadly tree disease that is spreading through the Garden State and may have already reached points as far north as Sussex County. State officials say Bacterial Leaf Scorch, an incurable plant disease, has infected an estimated 39 percent of oaks statewide. And while no official reports have been reported locally, environmental and natural resource experts predict it might be just a matter of time. “Bacterial Leaf Scorch is relatively new in this area,” said Mike Harris, of Bartlett Tree Experts in Denville, which is studying the leaf disease in partnership with the state Division of Parks and Forestry. “We haven’t had any cases this far north, but it’s predicted that won’t be the case forever.” The economic impact of the disease could be devastating to municipal budgets in New Jersey if trees will need to be pruned and, in many cases, removed. Throughout Sussex County’s affected municipalities, the aesthetic impact of BLS on the character of neighborhoods could be felt for decades as large, older trees are removed and replaced by newer, smaller versions. BLS, which has often been found around fresh water bodies including Lake Mohawk and Lake Hopatcong in Sussex County and Budd Lake in Morris County, has triggered concern from local environmental activists. Scott Olson, of the North Byram Concerned Citizens group, said he has identified BLS on several trees in the neighborhood including one case on an oak tree on his property. “There’s a lot of area concern that oaks will get the disease,” said Olson. “This means we have to protect the trees around here even more. If blight takes its toll on oak trees, the trees that are left are all the more important to protect.” Olson said Byram should reconsider adopting a comprehensive ordinance for protecting trees. The township’s Environmental Commission had submitted a plan last year that would have provided a high degree of protection to mature stands of trees in the township. The proposal, backed by the Lake Mohawk Country Club, would have exempted owners who were clearing fewer than 5,000 square-feet of trees from their property. “Trees are inherently beautiful things to have,” said Byram Township Manager Greg Poff. “They improve air quality and reduce erosion. An ordinance would have prevented people from clear-cutting their lots by regulating the number and size of trees that a property owner could have removed. But there didn’t seem to be unanimous support for implementing an ordinance.” Trees on New Jersey landscapes have exhibited increased symptoms of leaf scorch as a result of the recent drought, said environmental and natural resource officials. Leaf scorching in landscape trees and shrubs occurs when leaves lose water faster than the roots can supply it. BLS, an insect-born disease caused by Xylella fastidiosa bacterium, has already transformed the landscapes of towns in southern and central Jersey. The disease attacks the northern pin oak and red oak, which account for more than a third of the state’s trees. “We’ve had so much environmental scorch from the high temperatures and drought,” said Brian Oleksak, of the Rutgers University and Cooperative Research and Extension Program in Sussex County. “BLS is often mistaken with environmental scorch, which we’ve had a lot of this year and this could be confusing.” BLS causes leaf tips to turn brown with a characteristic yellow hallo separating the “scorched” leaf section from the green. The disease will spread through the leaf to branch before killing the entire tree over the course of up to 10 years. Experts said that with proper management, including deep planting, antibiotic injections, and effective irrigation techniques such as mulch, affected trees could be maintained for many years. “BLS can be fatal and chronic to trees,” said Oleksak. “But for folks that have an oak tree parched in their yard, there’s not much of a control we can recommend except for good cultivating practices.”