About Sooty Bark Disease (SBD):
- It is a fungal disease of maple trees, which causes rapid wilting and mortality.
- The disease is caused by the fungus Cryptostroma corticale.
- It can also have implications for human health if fungal spores are inhaled.
- The fungus is endemic to the Great Lakes region of North America but is considered an introduced disease in Europe.
- It is most often noticed after periods of hot weather when extensive black sooty patches are revealed beneath the bark of affected trees.
- It is a disease which needs high temperatures for extended periods of time.
- The fungus may remain dormant inside a tree for years before becoming active under hot, dry conditions, and it can kill a tree in as little as three years.
- The main characteristic of sooty bark disease is the predominantly black discolouration caused by concentrated spore formation on the trunk.
- There is currently no control that exists for sooty bark disease.
