Dead Hickory

[Autocar]

Has anyone else noticed this summer alot of shellbark and pig hickory die ? In our woods theres over twenty trees dead, big to little ones ?

[ahlkey]

It is likely that you are getting hit with the Hickory Bark Beetle (HBB) and Ceratocystis smalleyi which are responsible for a distinct rapid decline and death of hickory trees. If you were subject to the HBB the bark would have noticeable exit holes from the crown downward.  It attacks the crown first but everything hit is usually dead the following spring.  If you have noticed them completely dead this year they were probably hit last season and you can expect many more trees dead next year.  The KBB attacks the crown first and if you cut it within one year the lumber will be fine. In my woods this dieback wiped out nearly all my hickory mature trees other than those under five inches.  I have been involved in a USDA-Forestry department study over the past couple of years and could tell your more but it is a widespread dieback that attacks all hickory trees. This year we injected a few trees with propiconazole just to see if it could stop the advancement (so far it appears to be working).  

[Autocar]

Will they kill all my hickory or will they come and go ?

[ahlkey]

A lot will depend on your stand and your concentration of Hickory trees.  In my case, the mature Hickory trees (10-20 inches) represented almost 15% of my stand and within 3 years 95% were dead.  At least the smaller trees under 5 inches remain healthy.  Overall I probably cut more than 400 trees so at this point I have more Hickory lumber and firewood than I can handle.   I do have a couple of dozen or so in remote areas of the property that remain healthy but it had been pretty widespread.   On a widespread basis nothing has proven effective in preventing the spread.   

[Autocar]

With the emarld ash borer,oak wilt,walnut canker now hickory bark beetles I wonder what we will have in fifty years

[Okrafarmer]

With the emarld ash borer,oak wilt,walnut canker now hickory bark beetles I wonder what we will have in fifty years

Only the stinkin sweetgum.

[sandhills]

I'm a farmer in central Ne and just reading this thread, you folks can't believe how similar our worlds are.  We get to deal with gosses wilt, grey leaf spot, aphids, corn borer, and a thousand others but at least we can try again every year and hope we learned from the last.  With forests and trees it takes decades, a lot of respect to you foresters! I don't know much, but I do know a little something about helping things grow.