CORVALLIS, Ore. - A voracious insect - the bronze birch borer - is picking off beloved birch trees throughout Oregon. Planting North American birch species that are resistant to bronze birch borer (Nielsen et al. Power Line Approved: No The European white birch and grey birch are considered most vulnerable, the paper or canoe birch less so and the river birch seems to be relatively resistant. ‘Whitespire’, Whitespire Birch is tolerant of high temperatures. People love their chalky white birch trees. Margins are double serrated. The white bark does not exfoliate. River birch trees are resistant to the bronze birch borer. CORVALLIS, Ore. – A voracious insect – the bronze birch borer – is picking off beloved birch trees throughout Oregon. Leaves are glossy, dark green turning yellowish-green in fall. Biology and life history The insect overwinters as a larva in the tree. Unfortunately, so does a tiny insect that causes big problems. The bronze birch borer, Agrilus anxius, is an increasingly common pest where it occurs in Oregon. Plant resistant birch species and cultivars. As with most wood boring insects, the bronze birch borer is extremely difficult to control, especially if an infestation is established. The are monarch birch, Betula maximowieziana, the Japanese birch, Betula platyphylla and the river birch, Betula nigra. The peeling bark is a mélange of cream, orange, and salmon colors. 'Dura-Heat' is more compact and heat tolerant than the species. This birch tree is tolerant of most soil conditions and considered to be resistant to bronze birch borer. Gray Birch (Betula populifolia) Planting birch in a poor loca-tion is the most common reason for problems with bronze birch borer in Wisconsin. This selection of river birch is resistant to the bronze birch borer, thus being a great replacement for birches being killed by this insect. All birch species can be attacked but the two most susceptible, the European birch and the white-barked Himalayan birch, are the most widely planted in our area. It has a pyramidal, upright habit. Selected over twenty years ago by Dr. Edward R. Hasselkus at the University of Wisconsin, Madison Arboretum. That’s why birch trees can only be imported to the UK from countries free of bronze birch borer. It usually attacks trees under stress or in a weakened condition because of drought, disease, nutrient deficiency, construc-tion injury, or excessive exposure to the sun. Power Line Approved: No ), but is especially devastating on exotic birch species including European white birch (Betula pendula). July 30, 2015 Agrilus anxious. This insect targets old and stressed birch trees… Probably the best species is the Monarch birch (B. maximowicziana) which has white bark on older trees and is only moderately susceptible to leafminers and aphids. Bronze birch borer is a pest of birch trees, especially white barked birches such as Betula papyrifera, B. populifolia, B. pendula and B. maximowicziana.B. It has a wonderful yellow fall color. Bark color and texture This species has a satin white bark that is slightly peeling. Vigorous trees are much less susceptible to borer attack. The bronze birch borer could be devastating to our native birches. A birch infested with Bronze Birch Borer will start showing dieback in the crown, increasing in severity as the infestation continues, often leading to death of the tree. As the weather warms in spring, the larvae resume feeding. In winter, it shows off its warm creamy-brown exfoliating bark. Leaf or needle arrangement, size, shape, and texture. This can determine whether your birch can successfully withstand the stresses of growing in an urban environment or fend off pests such as the bronze birch borer. Woodpeckers and parasites are important controls of bronze birch borers in rural areas. Prevent injury and insect damage. Bronze birch borers attack trees weakened by age, environmental stresses, or previous insect attacks. a type of flatheaded borer Control: European white birch is highly susceptible to the bronze birch borer and should not be used in landscape plantings in Maryland. It slowly migrated and is now found in abundance as far south as Klamath Falls, according to Dark-barked birches such as river birch (Betula nigra) and water birch (Betula occidentalis) are considered resistant to bronze birch borer and recommended as substitutes. The various species of birch trees in the Betula genus include at least 12 that are important landscape trees. Glossy, light green leaves turn yellow in the fall. If you have noticed wilted, yellowing foliage in the upper crowns of your birch trees, accompanied by a dieback of branches, your trees may be infested by the bronze birch borer (BBB). papyrifera is much more tolerant of bronze birch borer than B. pendula.Insects overwinter as larvae in galleries in the vascular system and resume feeding in spring as the sap rises. Prune out dying branches. River Birch (Betulus Nigra) is a safe replacement tree – Bronze birch borer does not feed on this birch tree. As a homeowner, the best contribution you can make to your birch tree's soil and to the long-term viability of your tree is the addition of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi . Bronze birch borer larva Figure 3. There does seem to be some dieback at the crowns, but I don't know enough to tell if this is "normal" or indicates the trees … Whitespire Birch is very adaptable preferring moist, well drained, slightly acidic soils. Betula nigra ‘Heritage’™ has white, exfoliating bark and tolerates wet, poorly drained soils and is resistant to bronze birch borer. Make sure to plant this tree where soil is likely to remain cool. The peeling bark is a mélange of cream, orange, and salmon colors. Betula platyphylla var. Removal is also the only option for trees with Figure 2. Bronze birch borer attacks mostly nonnative, white-barked birches as their growth starts to slow down, typically when the trees … Keep trees healthy. Tolerant of wet soils, it’s the first weeping birch with resistance to the Bronze birch borer. Whitespire has a beautiful spire-like upright form, white non-exfoliating bark and excellent bronze birch borer resistance. The bronze birch borer, Agrilus anxius, is a beetle that is native to North America.It can be a serious pest of forest and shade trees, particularly several species of birch. The attractive bark of birch (Betula) species makes them highly valued as ornamental trees (Weaver 1978, Dirr 1981).Bronze birch borer (Agrilus anxius Gory) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), a wood-boring beetle endemic to North America, is the most important insect pest of birch in forests and ornamental landscapes (Slingerland 1906, Barter 1957, Ball and Simmons 1980), with stressed trees … It’s illegal to import live trees from the USA or Canada. Reducing plant stress with proper care can help limit attacks, but chemical control may be recommended. Of the number of pests which are attracted the birch trees, the bronze birch borer (Agrilus anxius) is the most important as it is both lethal and difficult to control.As an adult, the borer is a small bronze coloured beetle up to 2 inches (5cm) in length. the bronze birch borer is really a sec-ondary problem. Common for many years in Eastern Oregon, the hard-to-control beetle first showed up west of the Cascades in 2003 in Portland, where it has killed hundreds of trees. Paper birch trees are large, oval in shape and may be single or multi-trunked. Reaching heights between 40 and 70 feet, the river birch is one of the hardier birch trees. A species of river birch, known as ‘Heritage birch’, is relatively resistant to this pest making it a more desireable land-scape plant. Cully ('Heritage') is resistant to bronze birch borer and has darker leaves and tan-and-apricot bark; keeps apricot color longer than the species. The bronze birch borer is native to North America and in Canada is found from Newfoundland to British Columbia. The Bronze Birch Borer typically attacks trees which are already stressed or in decline. Originally Damage to susceptible species of birch trees can be severe, often deadly. The river birch does not have the smooth white bark that makes birch a desirable ornamental tree. This selection of river birch is resistant to the bronze birch borer, thus being a great replacement for birches being killed by this insect. We recommend planting hardy weeping willows such as 'Lace' weeping willow (Salix babylonica) instead of birch trees. Simple, alternate leaves, d ark green, ovoid to slightly triangular-shaped. I have three birch trees in my front yard that I've been told have a bronze birch borer infestation, based primarily on the presence of numerous holes, each about 6-7 mm wide. 2011) reduces the need for insecticide applications and other interventions, which can be costly and thus often are limited to high value trees. Good resistance to bronze birch borer. insect Resistance: bronze birch borer This river birch is surprisingly fast growing in the nursery but quickly matures to a graceful weeping habit that controls its ultimate size. 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