Trees cannot speak for themselves. There are times when humanity must speak for them. Our beloved beech trees are in peril. I have already written too many eulogies this year so I am hoping Mother Nature, scientists or both will solve the impending doom of native beech trees before it is too late. Beech leaf disease is killing Maryland beech trees as it spreads east from Ohio. It is caused by a microscopic nematode worm. The worm enters the leaf buds (hence the name) and eats them, causing the leaves to die and drop early. It is evident when dark lines or bands form between the veins of the leaf and the leaves brown early, become leathery and fall before supplying the tree with the nutrients it needs.

Beech leaf disease was first discovered in Ohio in 2012 and is rapidly traveling across

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