Thousand cankers disease and black walnut: Can outreach crack this tough nut?

Black walnut, Juglans nigra, an important tree, both economically and culturally, is widely grown and valued for its wood and its nuts. Thousand cankers disease (TCD), caused by the fungus Geosmithia morbida vectored by the walnut twig beetle, Pityopththorus juglandis, was discovered in the native range (Knox County, Tennessee) of black walnut in 2010. TCD has already killed thousands of non-native black walnut trees in the western U.S., and threatens those in its native range, where it also has been documented in North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia. State quarantines have been enacted in all confirmed states to curtail the spread and impact of this deadly disease. Unfortunately, the general public is not aware of the problem, its potential impact, or mitigation efforts. The overall goal of this poster is to describe a regional Outreach Plan titled “Walnut Alert” – this Plan involves the development and implementation of outreach tools and programs (web-based materials, educational displays, pamphlets, posters, fact sheets, technical papers and presentations, workshops, field days, news media outlets, etc.) to inform growers, industry, scientists, regulators, and the general public of the issues surrounding TCD in the native range of black walnut, as well as to train students to be more knowledgeable in the workforce. A well-developed Outreach Plan can educate endusers, consumers, and the general public, resulting in a reduction in the spread of this deadly disease and providing the necessary time to develop appropriate and effective management strategies.