Some fear walnut twig beetle spreading through U.S. will take out Mo.'s trees

Dr. Richard Martin has high hopes for his 288-acre walnut tree farm.

The farm, off Highway 25 near Gordonville, has grown from 172 acres when he first planted the trees in 1989. Martin hopes to continue expanding his farm and make a substantial profit.

However, his plans could be in jeopardy one day if small insect were to make its way across the border of several western states.

"If the walnuts were wiped out, it would put a dent in my plan, but life goes on," Martin said. "I'm not trying to create a panic and make people think that the entire walnut industry will soon quickly die out because that's not the case.

"All I want to do is make others aware of the potential danger the insect could cause if it's brought into the state."

Native to North America, the walnut twig beetle was found in Arizona, New Mexico and Chihuahua Mexico before 1992. The insect has since spead into California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington. It has yet to reach the Missouri border.

According to the University of Missouri agroforestry department, the first reported death of a cluster of walnut trees associated with the beetle was in 2001 in northern New Mexico. The yellow-brown beetle enters the tree's trunk where it will mate and tunnel during the winter.

Symptoms of diseased trees include darks stains on the outer bark tissue and wilted leaves.

"There are a lot of unknowns out there and it could be years before it gets here, if it even gets here at all," said Walter, who plans to attend a conference on the topic in St. Louis from Nov. 3 to 4.

Martin believes the best prevention is by not transporting wood from one state to another, but rather purchasing and transporting the wood inside one's own state.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628