The state of Illinois is working to protect black walnut trees from a deadly fungus that has killed thousands of trees in the western United States.
Acting IL Department of Agriculture Director H. W. Devlin says there's no evidence that Thousand Cankers Disease has reached Illinois, but it's important to prevent it from taking hold here because there's no effective way to eradicate it. Shipments of lumber or wood products made of walnut from infested states must include proof they were treated to remove any threat. Shipments from areas that aren't infested must include proof of where the trees were harvested.
Thousand Cankers Disease is spread by the Walnut Twig Beetle. The fungus causes cankers that disrupt the flow of nutrients in the trees, which usually die within three years.
More information is available on line from www.thousandcankerdisease.com
