Malvern, PA - December 20, 2025 - Burkholder Plant Health Care, a science-driven tree and plant health care company serving the Main Line and surrounding region, today announced the rollout of a comprehensive treatment program for Beech Leaf Disease (BLD), an emerging disease that is killing beech trees across Pennsylvania.

Beech leaf disease, caused by the microscopic foliar nematode Litylenchus crenatae mccannii, has rapidly spread through Pennsylvania and into neighboring states. Infected trees exhibit dark banding between veins, thickened and distorted leaves, canopy thinning, branch dieback, and, ultimately, tree decline and death. Saplings may die within a few years; mature trees often decline over seven to ten.

“Beech leaf disease has moved through our region at an alarming pace,” said Starker Wright, Plant Health Care Manager and ISA Certified Arborist at Burkholder Plant Health Care. “The good news is that we now have research-backed tools that can significantly reduce nematode levels and improve tree health, and we’re ready to put that science to work for our clients’ beech trees.”

Burkholder’s new program centers on thiabendazole root-flare injections (the active ingredient in Arbotect® 20-S), a fungicide and nematicide long used in arboriculture to manage serious diseases such as Dutch elm disease and sycamore anthracnose. Recent research shows that properly timed injections can substantially lower BLD nematode populations and improve canopy quality, with protection lasting roughly two growing seasons.

The company also offers phosphite-based treatments as a complementary option, especially for smaller trees or as part of a long-term management program. Phosphites can be applied via trunk microinjection, soil drench, or basal bark drench and work by stimulating the tree’s natural defense responses while helping to suppress disease symptoms.

“At Burkholder, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all treatments,” Wright added. “Every property and tree is evaluated by trained plant health professionals, and treatment plans are built around tree size, disease severity, site conditions, and the owner’s goals.”

Burkholder Plant Health Care’s beech leaf disease services are available throughout the Philadelphia Main Line and surrounding communities, including Chester, Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks, and Berks counties, as well as portions of northern Delaware.

Property owners who have beech trees showing symptoms and want to pursue this treatment program for Beech Leaf Disease, or who wish to protect healthy beech trees proactively, are encouraged to schedule a consultation.