The Forest Health Diagnostic Lab conducts research to better understand forest pests and diseases inform invasive species management decisions, build networks of cooperating scientists and practitioners, and help the citizens of New York maintain healthy trees and forests.
We are available year-round to help resolve your tree health problems at no cost. We can identify insects, diseases, or environmental factors that are causing damage to your trees and provide management recommendations. If you need assistance, start by submitting a report form. The more information you can provide, the easier it will be for us to identify the problem and help you find a solution. We will contact you if a sample is needed. You can also email us images of the insect or symptoms with a detailed description including the location the insect or symptom was found.
Please note: Our expertise is in forest health and tree pests and diseases, and we cannot diagnose or accept other kinds of samples.
- For questions and diagnosing horticultural problems on ornamental plants, food crops, or flowers, please contact your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office or the Cornell Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic.
- For questions and diagnosing insects, plants, or diseases related to human-health and illnesses, including skin rashes, bite marks, bed bugs, or fleas, please contact your County Health Department.
Mailing Samples to the Lab
We can typically address your concerns through submitted photos. If a sample is needed, we will contact you to request one, and give you specific instructions for collecting and shipping at that time. Once you have confirmed with the Lab that a sample is needed, please follow the guidelines below to ensure the sample remains identifiable.
Insects
If an insect sample is requested by the Lab, please follow the mailing instruction below:
- Put insects in the freezer overnight to kill them before shipping.
- Place insects in a small, squash-proof container, such as Tupperware or an old pill bottle.
- If there are many insects, send up to five total.
- Ship them in a box or padded envelope.
- On a piece of paper in the box, please provide:
- Your email address
- The location where the insect was found
- The date it was found
- Any other relevant information you can provide.
Please note: Larvae, grubs, or non-descript caterpillars may be difficult, if not impossible to identify. Diagnosis is often based on symptoms, and photos are often more helpful than specimens. Also, soft-bodied insects require special preparation for shipment. Please contact the Lab before submitting this type of specimen for more detailed instructions.
Tree Parts and Fungi
Before sending symptomatic leaves, twigs or branches, bark or roots, please call us, as these samples must be dealt with in a timely manner and may have special storage needs.
- Leaf samples should be dry when collected, stored in a plastic ziplock bag, and refrigerated.
- Store and ship multiple plant parts (leaves, rots, branches) in separate plastic bags. This will help us isolate the problem in different parts of the plant.
- Add a dry paper towel to each plastic bag to absorb moisture.
- Please label the bags with:
- The tree species
- Concern or symptoms
- Location
- Date
- Your name & email address.
- Mushrooms specimens must be wrapped in dry paper towels or newspaper and placed in sturdy box to avoid crushing. Store sample in a cool, dark place until shipped to the Lab.
Ship all samples to:
NYSDEC Forest Health Diagnostic Laboratory
108 Game Farm Road
Delmar, NY 12054
Current Research
The Forest Health Diagnostic Lab conducts various research projects to better understand forests pests and diseases. Some of our current projects include:
- Conducting a multi-year study of Southern pine beetle populations and their associates in Upstate New York pine forests.
- Assessing beech leaf disease severity in statewide monitoring plots and working with SUNY ESF to develop treatments and management strategies.
- Characterizing pitch pine stands to assess their health. This data will be used in a risk model to predict which stands are most at risk for southern pine beetle infestations.
- After detecting elm zigzag sawfly in New York in 2022, we have partnered with SUNY ESF to answer preliminary research questions and assess the current distribution in NYS.
- Participating in a DNA barcoding project to identify large amounts of insect bycatch and look for nonnative species. The DNA results are also analyzed for nonnative fungal pathogens.
- Partnering with the Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative (FEMC) in Vermont to create an interactive platform to explore the data from our DNA barcoding.
Publications
- Dodds, K., Cancelliere, J., DiGirolomo, M. (2023). Bark beetle and woodborer response to stand thinning and prescribed fire in northeastern US coastal and inland pitch pine barrens. Agricultural and Forest Entomology.
- McLaughlin, K., Snover-Clift, K., Somers, L., Cancelliere, J., & Cole, R. (2022). Early detection of the oak wilt fungus (Bretziella fagacearum) using trapped nitidulid beetle vectors. Forest Pathology, 52(5), e12767. https://doi.org/10.1111/efp.12767
- DiGirolomo, M. F., Munck, I. A., Dodds, K. J., & Cancelliere, J. (2020). Sap Beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) in Oak Forests of Two Northeastern States: A Comparison of Trapping Methods and Monitoring for Phoretic Fungi. Journal of Economic Entomology, 113(6), 2758-2771. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaa195
- Dodds, K. J., Aoki, C. F., Arango-Velez, A., Cancelliere, J., D'Amato, A. W., DiGirolomo, M. F., & Rabaglia, R. J. (2018). Expansion of Southern Pine Beetle into Northeastern Forests: Management and Impact of a Primary Bark Beetle in a New Region. Journal of Forestry, 116(2), 178-191. https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvx009
