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The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) is advising forest landowners to monitor their sassafras trees after detecting new cases of laurel wilt disease in Robertson and Hamblen Counties. In the last quarter of 2019, the disease was detected in trees in Montgomery, Cheatham, Dickson and Williamson Counties. "These new detections of this invasive disease show a significant geographic jump across the state," State Forester David Arnold said. "This is yet another unfortunate example of an invasive pest impacting our forests. Landowners should take caution to prevent the spread of this disease if detected on their property."

Laurel wilt is a fungal disease caused by an invasive pathogen, Raffaelea lauricola, which can affect a range of plants, including sassafras and spicebush in Tennessee. Choked of water, trees wilt and die within a few weeks or months. Currently, no treatment has been developed that can cure laurel wilt disease or protect trees from infection. The best way to prevent the spread of laurel wilt is to avoid movement of firewood or other untreated timber. Tennesseans are urged to monitor their sassafras trees for browning of leaves, leaf loss, and staining in the inner bark. If you suspect your trees might have laurel wilt disease, contact Forest Health Program Specialist Sam Gildiner at 615-837-5439 or sam.gildiner@tn.gov. TDA Division of Forestry staff will assist in identifying the disease and recommending management actions, if appropriate.

Three Tennessee counties have been quarantined for Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) after detection of the forest-devastating insect, bringing the total number of Tennessee counties under a state and federal EAB quarantine to 62. Cheatham, Giles, and Maury counties have been added to the list of areas restricted for the movement of firewood, ash nursery stock, ash timber, and other material that can spread EAB. The tree-killing beetle was recently found in these three counties through the United States Department of Agriculture’s EAB detection program.

Note: In 2021, TDA repealed the existing Emerald Ash Borer, Pine Beetle, and Thousand Cankers Disease Quarantines. See current quarantine information.

See also: Asian Longhorned Tick Infographic (Apr 2021) [PDF, 222 KB] and Publications for more resources

See also: Publications for more resources

See also: Publications and Multimedia Catalog for more resources

See also: Publications and Multimedia Catalog for more resources

The TWRA needs your help in collecting invasive carp. If you catch an invasive carp anywhere in Tennessee other than the Mississippi River OR If you catch any Invasive carp in East Tennessee or other water where invasive carp are not known to be established, the agency is asking that you put it on ice or freeze it and contact them immediately.

If you are unable to keep the fish, the TWRA asks you to submit photos of the fish and send the image to us. You can contact the nearest TWRA office by phone here, or by email at ans.twra@tn.gov.

See also: Publications and Multimedia Catalog for more resources

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Tennessee Department of Health, and University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) has announced the detection of the invasive Asian longhorned tick in Tennessee. The Asian longhorned tick has now spread to 11 states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there is no evidence that the tick has transmitted pathogens to humans or animals in the U.S. Two Asian longhorned ticks were recently found on a dog in Union County, and five were found on a cow in Roane County. In the U.S., the tick has been reported on 17 different mammal species.

See also: Publications and Multimedia Catalog for more resources