Significance

• Cracking Wild Hickory Nuts
  
  Shagbark hickory trees are known by many names, including shell bark, upland hickory and pignut. Many wild animals depend on the nuts for food. The durable wood has a resilience that makes it excellent for ax handles and baseball bats. Hickory is prized for fine furniture making. It is good firewood that burns very hot with a minimum of ash, and has a pleasant aroma. Hickory wood is used to smoke-flavor meats and cheeses.
  Although it is slow growing compared to companion oaks and other timber crops, and heavy nut crops are only produced biennially, hickory is a valuable commercial timber tree.
  
  

Insect Pests

• Shagbark hickories may be attacked by several kinds of insects in various stages of development. Aphids can be quite a problem, as can Hickory Leaf Stem Galls. Hickory Bark Beetles bore and mine into the bark and sapwood and can girdle and kill a tree. Twig Girdler larvae girdle around twigs and cause them to die and drop. These larvae fall to the ground on the dead twigs where they overwinter. June Beetles feed on hickory leaves at night. Several kinds of scale diseases can attack hickory.
  Many species of caterpillars feed on hickory, with perhaps the most impressive being the Hickory Horned Devil, which is the hot dog-sized larvae of the Citheronia regalis, or Regal Moth.
  
  

Insect Treatments

• Humus-rich, fertile soil that produces a healthy tree is the best defense against any disease or infestation. Beneficial nematodes will control soil stage larvae, and diatomaceous earth will also help in the soil. Horticultural oil sprays are effective against scale diseases.
  
  

Fungus Diseases

• Hickory anthracnose, or leaf spot, is a fungus disease that can cause defoliation. The affected leaves have large rust-colored spots on the upper side that appear dark brown on the underside. Several types of leaf fungi may be present. Leaf fungi overwinter on the fallen leaves, so clean up under the trees. Yellow blotches on the topside of the leaves is witches broom, another fungus. When it progresses from the leaf into the stem, it affects all of the compound leaf cluster, killing them and creating the "broom" of twigs and stems. Powdery mildew may appear, but is not a serious threat to a healthy tree. Cankers may form from tree injuries due to mowing or trimming, or from storm damage. Verticulum wilt can also strike hickory trees, causing wilting and defoliation.
  
  

Fungus Treatment

• Use good sanitation around the tree to keep the infected leaves and stems cleared away. Prune out witches brooms and destroy them. Avoid bumping into the tree with mowing equipment, and trim damaged limbs before disease can set in.