Laurel wilt

Laurel wilt, also called laurel wilt disease, is a vascular disease caused by the fungus Raffaelea lauricola, which is transmitted by the invasive redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus. The disease affects and kills members of the laurel family. The avocado is perhaps the most commercially valuable plant affected by laurel wilt. Symptoms of laurel wilt include wilted stems and leaves and dark streaking in the wood. Laurel wilt can spread in at least two ways: one is via the beetle's natural reproduction and migration. A second way is through the sale and transport of beetle-infested wood, a result of redbay's use as firewood and for outdoor grilling. Laurel wilt has been found in South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and notably in Florida, where it has reached as far south as Miami-Dade County and as far west as Bay County. The redbay ambrosia beetle was detected in Savannah, Georgia's Port Wentworth area in spring 2002; however, it is likely to have been established in the area prior to 2002 when the three adult specimens were trapped at the port. The beetle likely entered the country in solid wood packing material with cargo that was imported at Port Wentworth. Redbay trees began dying in Georgia and South Carolina near the Savannah area in 2003. By early 2005, officials with the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC), South Carolina Forestry Commission (SCFC), and USDA Forest Service began to suspect the newly discovered ambrosia beetle was associated with this mortality. The redbay (Persea borbonia), a tree particularly abundant in maritime forests of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, has been the primary species affected by the wilt. Sassafras, a less common tree in the coastal plains of the Southeast but with a more extensive range than redbay, has also been affected by the disease but to a lesser extent than redbay. The wilt fungus has also been isolated from dead and dying pondspice (Litsea aestivalis) and pondberry (Lindera melissaefolia), however the redbay ambrosia beetle has not been found in either of these species. Pondberry is a federally endangered species while pondspice is regarded as a threatened or endangered species in some southeastern states. The state's avocado crop earns about $65 million wholesale each year, with commercial avocados growing on 7,500 acres (30 km2) mostly in Miami-Dade County. Avocado represents the second-largest fruit crop in Florida, after citrus. In 2007, an avocado tree near Jacksonville, FL was found showing symptoms of laurel wilt, and the laurel wilt fungus was confirmed to be present in the tree. Field and laboratory observations have since confirmed that the redbay ambrosia beetle will infest avocado trees, although there may be some variation in how susceptible different avocado cultivars are to the laurel wilt fungus. In 2011, laurel wilt-infected trees were detected in Miami-Dade County, near areas of commercial avocado groves. Avocado groves in the area are being closely monitored for the presence of the redbay ambrosia beetle and incidence of laurel wilt disease