From the Bangor News
A fungus that thrives in wet conditions is infecting maple trees from Wells to Bangor, leaving blotched or blackened leaves that make it seem as if the trees are dead.
But appearances may be deceiving, according to Lewiston city arborist Steve Murch. He said that unless the tree is sick to begin with, new, healthy leaves should return in about a month.
"My biggest fear is that people are just going to cut down a healthy tree," he said. "Don't do it."
The culprit is maple anthracnose, a fungus that thrives in wet conditions, said Clark Granger, plant pathologist for the Maine Forest Service. The fungal spores infect trees as they bud, and the fungus eventually eats away at the leaves.
Norway maples, which are fatter and fuller at the bottom than other varieties, are bearing the brunt of the attack.
"The tops of trees tend to be drier, thanks to the wind," Murch said. "Little fungal spores have a harder time sticking up there. So trees with the low, full branches tend to be more susceptible. They give the fungus a better chance to hang on."
Granger began getting reports last Friday from people in Gorham and Wells. Since then, he's received about 20 calls a day from property owners and arborists in such areas as Falmouth, Lewiston, Rockland and Bangor.
When he got his first call Monday, Murch initially thought the damaged leaves were caused by overzealous lawn care.
"It looked like a chemical burn, like someone had sprayed fertilizer and killed the leaves," he said. But when similar reports surfaced from all over the city, he realized that the fungus was to blame.
The fungus can harm other leafy trees, and Granger expects to see similar problems with ash trees in the next few weeks. He suggested that tree owners rake away the infected leaves to help forestaff future outbreaks.
"It won't stop it, but it reduces the likelihood," he said. "Fungus spores are pretty small and they can cling to anything. But clearing away the infected leaves can't hurt."
