Invasive insects and fungal pathogens have triggered numerous declines in ecologically important tree species in the forests of eastern North America. Although now functionally extinct in many ecosystems, these tree species have been able to persist through sprouting or the presence of a low density of resistant individuals. In this study, we document widespread mortality of another dominant North American hardwood species, redbay (Persea borbonia, Lauraceae), from an exotic disease, laurel wilt. This disease is caused by a nonnative Asian ambrosia disease, Xyleborus glabratus, and its pathogenic fungal symbiont, Raffaelea lauricola, which were introduced to Georgia, USA in 2003. We conducted tree surveys on an island near the center of introduction from 2004 to 2009 and assessed the trajectory of tree mortality caused by laurel wilt.