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Deadly fungal disease threatening trees found in 5 Long Island towns
ByKrista McNally
Monday, August 3, 2026 8:42PM
Krista McNally has the latest on the fungus.
BABYLON, Long Island (WABC) –Long Island arborists and state officials are urging residents to watch for signs of laurel wilt, a fungal disease that kills trees in the laurel family and has led to a quarantine in five Long Island towns
The disease has been detected in the towns of Huntington, Babylon, Smithtown, Islip and Brookhaven, which are now part of the Laurel Wilt Quarantine District, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Arborist Evan Dackow of Jolly Green Tree and Trunk Care said he has responded to calls about infected trees on Long Island
“I’ve looked at a handful of trees that have it, in Hauppauge and Huntington area,” Dackow said
Laurel wilt is spread by a small beetle and affects trees in the laurel family. According to the DEC, the two native plant species mainly affected are sassafras and spicebush
“We have a lot of sassafras on Long Island, I was looking at one that is tremendous up in Huntington and it’s got it,” Dackow said
Dackow noted that some commonly planted laurels found in residential yards are not part of the laurel family
“The otto luyken laurels, the cherry laurels, all the laurels people have in their yards are in the rose family,” he said
Under the quarantine, certain restrictions are in place to help contain the disease
“You can’t plant new ones, you can’t move the wood, it’s to contain it,” Dackow said
Signs of infection include leaves that turn wilted or brown, dark streaking or stains beneath the bark, and small holes in the tree
Jessica Cancelliere, a forestry research scientist with the DEC, said the affected tree species play a significant role in some Long Island forests
“On Long Island, there’s actually, you know, quite large, trees. And it’s like a dominant part of the forest in some areas,” Cancelliere said
According to the DEC, there is no treatment once a tree has contracted laurel wilt
“If you have an affected tree you are going to have to take it down,” Dackow said
Trees within the quarantine district cannot be moved unless the wood is heated at an approved facility or chipped into pieces less than an inch in size, covered with a tarp and left on-site for a week before being relocated
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