The Citizen, 2008-08-21, Page 7In the population of woodlots the
butternut tree may be a minority. But
its place in the balance of nature is
no less important than any other.
That balance is in jeopardy,
however, as the butternuts are in
danger of extinction. The species is
in trouble because of the butternut
canker, a disease that causes cankers
on the trunk and branches, that will
eventually girdle and kill the tree.
In response, the Huron
Stewardship Council, Huron-Perth
Chapter of the Ontario Woodlot
Association and Perth Stewardship
Network have joined together on a
recovery project in Huron and Perth
Counties.
Stewardship co-ordinator Steve
Bowers said that butternut tree,
though small in number is wide-
spread throughout the area of
southern Ontario to New Brunswick.
“It’s never common in a woodlot,
but you do find a few.”
The tree, from the walnut genus, is
shade-resistant, thus it does not grow
or reproduce under a forest canopy.
The butternut canker, said Bowers,
began appearing on the landscape 30
years ago. “We were checking to see
then if there was any on the trees and
it was kind of a shocker because we
discovered at that point that many
were dead or dying.”
The canker is a fungus, the origins
of which are unknown, he said. “It’sunfortunate that we don’t knowthings such as when it arrived andfrom where. I suspect it came fromoutside Canada, but in not knowingexactly from where, we don’t knowif the butternut trees in that part of
the world have developed a
resistance.”
The cankers may take a number of
years to kill the tree, but the
prevelance of the disease has
resulted in the butternut being
designated as endangered. “It is
imminently possible these trees
could become extinct.”
The impact this would have would
be difficult to measure, he said, but
there’s no question there would be
one. For one thing, the tree has been
identified as a valuable nut-bearing
tree for wildlife.
“The number one thing is that if
you lose a species you lose that
diversity in the eco-system. The
butternut may very well fill a niche
within the ecosystem we’re not even
aware of. There may be a benefit of
some kind in the future. Who knowswhat purpose it may serve.”The butternut is used inwoodworking. A “lighter” woodthan walnut, Bowers said it’s popularfor turning on a lathe, for furnitureand such things as canoe paddles.
“It’s not as hard as maple. It’s easier
to work with.”
According to the Forest Gene
Conservation Association, most of
the butternut trees in Canada exist on
private land. Bowers and the local
group are asking landowners to
notify them if they know where there
are some butternut trees. “We are
trying to find any remaining
butternuts to assess the current state
of health and their location to
others.”
The butternuts will be marked and
monitored to see if the ones that are
healthy remain that way.
The one hope, said Bowers, is that
they find some butternuts that appear
to have a natural resistance to the
canker. “This does happen. It did
with Dutch elm. We find trees not far
from the diseased ones that are
healthy.”
Should these be discovered then a
breeding program can begin.
“We would be very interested in
talking to anyone who has butternuts
on their property. But also we are
encouraging them to keep them, not
cut them down.”
As the trees are not as common as
others used in woodworking,
Bowers said it shouldn’t be too
commercially onerous for anyone to
keep the trees. Anyone with information is askedto contact Bowers at 519-482-3661 or by e-mail atsteve.bowers@ontario.caTHE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008. PAGE 7.
In good health
Adam McKichan, a technician working with the
Huron Stewardship Council on butternut recovery efforts
in Huron and Perth Counties stands beside a healthy
butternut in the Dungannon area, found a couple of weeks
ago. (Photo submitted)
Fungus threatens existence of butternuts
MEETING NOTICE
MUNICIPALITY OF
MORRIS-TURNBERRY
The upcoming Council and
Committee meetings for the
Municipality of Morris-
Turnberry will be held:
Thursday, August 21
at 7:00 pm
Special Council Meeting
Thursday, August 21
at 8:00 pm
History Book Meeting
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
BUTTERNUT CANKER SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
(From the Forest Gene Conservation Authority)
• Dying branches in the upper, sunlit crown (shaded branches die off
normally)
• Sunken, elongated, diamond-shaped cankers, dark brown to black in
colour, found on the branches or the stem
• Older cankers may show successive rings of callus loosely covered
with shredded bark
• In spring, a thin black fluid oozes from cracks in the bark
• In summer, fall and winter, the black fluid leaves a dried sooty stain on
the outside of the bark at the canker site.
• Underneath the bark, the wood is stained dark brown to black in a
diamond shape
• Epicormic branching below dead or infested areas on stem or
branches.
BUTTERNUT
IDENTIFICATION
(From the Forest Gene
Conservation Authority)
Form:
Open-grown butternut trees
have a short trunk with a broad,
open, spreading crown. In the
forest butternut have taller, less
branchy trunks with a smaller
more compact crown. The
smaller branches in the crown
tend to bend downwards, then
turn up at the ends.
Bark:
The bark is grey and smooth
on immature trees. On older
individuals, the bark becomes
separated by narrow, dark
fissures into wide, irregular, flat
topped, intersecting ridges.
Leaves:
Butternut leaves are
compound. They are about 25-40
cm in length and are composed
of 11 to 17 leaflets arranged
along a central stalk. The
individual leaflets are stalkless.
Their undersurface is densely
hairy.
Butternut and its close relative,
black walnut, are easily
confused. A comparison of the
two species can be found at
www.fgca.net/conservation/sar/b
utternut-vs-walnut.aspx
One key to differentiating is to
observe the terminal leaflet. In
butternut this leaflet is present
and of similar size to the next
closest leaflet. In walnut the
terminal leaflet is
underdeveloped or missing
altogether.
Fruit:
The nuts are pointed, about
twice as long as they are broad
and about 5-7 cm long. Nuts can
occur singly or in clusters of two
to five. The husk is yellow/green
with dense, sticky hairs. The nuts
mature the same season as
pollination and usually drop after
leaf fall.
Flower:
This species is monecious,
meaning that one tree bears both
female and male flowers. The
trees flower as they are leafing
out. To prevent inbreeding the
tree has evolved in such a way as
to prevent the male and female
flowers from maturing at the
same time.
Huronlea receives donation
CIBC donated $1,000 to Huronlea gazebo. From left, Dale Chesher,
Huronlea Auxiliary; Debra Corrie, Volunteer Social Services Co-
ordinator, Huronlea; Kim Perrier, CIBC Manager; Chan Fransen,
Huronlea Auxiliary.
Our fall mums
are blooming.
We have a large
selection of colours to
choose from
GREYHAVEN
GARDENS
1/2 mile west of Londesborough
Open Mon. - Sat.
519-523-9781
Gorgeous
Garden
Mums
FALL SALE
All perennials & shrubs on sale now
ON $5.00 THURSDAYS
Drop into either of our offices any
Thursday with your word classified
(maximum 20 words) and pay only
$5.00 + GST (paid in advance).
That’s $1.00 off regular rates.
The Citizen