NYS agencies have confirmed the presence of laurel wilt in Northport, Suffolk County, marking the first discovery of the plant disease in New York State. Originating in Asia and first identified in the U.S. in Georgia in 2002, the disease is deadly to sassafras and spicebush. (Mountain laurel is not impacted by the disease.)
Signs and symptoms to look for in sassafras and spicebush include:
- Sudden wilting of leaves;
- Dark streaking of sapwood beneath the bark; and
- Small entry holes on the branches, trunk, or roots, which are sometimes surrounded by fine sawdust-like “toothpicks” pushed out from the bark.
For members of the public who encounter symptomatic sassafras and spicebush:
- Submit a report through nyimapinvasives.org; and
- Do not move or transport branches, trunks, or bark from symptomatic sassafras or spicebush, even for disposal. Chip dead wood and use it as mulch on-site.
To learn more: https://dec.ny.gov/nature/forests-trees/forest-health/laurel-wilt
