Common Tree Diseases
The trees and shrubs that line your property grounds are important to the landscape aesthetic. It’s a good idea to keep them healthy and disease-free.
There are some common tree diseases that are simple to spot, and can be prevented or suppressed if identified quickly. You’re obviously not a tree care expert, but it’s good to know what to look for before it gets out of hand.
Here are some common tree diseases in the area to watch for:
- Emerald ash borers are a huge problem in the area. They feed on plants in the olive family, eating just beneath the bark in late summer/fall, leaving distinctive holes in the tree bark. Adults emerge in Spring and mate. They’ve killed millions of ash trees in North America, so less than 1% of infested trees survive this pest. Needless to say, early detection and rapid response is important!
- The Asian Longhorned beetle is another pest that feeds on Maple, birch, ash, and buckeye to name a few. This pest also leaves round exit holes in the tree bark that create frass (weak powdery wood) and branch breakage.
- Thousand Cankers disease occurs on walnut trees, and is advanced through bark beetles and twig beetles. It involves the formation of small cankers on the tree that eventually lead to branch dieback and tree death within 10 years.
- Needlecast diseases infect new needles of evergreens. The fungi forms on new needles, create thousands of spores, and eventually leads to the needles falling off.
- Powdery mildew is a white dusty substance that can appear on tree leaves.
- Cedar Apple Rust is another fungal disease that can not only infect crabapples, but also junipers and red cedars. It creates yellow/red blotches on leaves.
- Apple Scab fungus attacks apple and crabapple trees. It creates yellow and olive-green spots on leaves. When the disease worsens, leaves become twisted and begin to fall off.
Some diseases propagate quicker than others. And the symptoms of some can be more detrimental to the overall tree health than others. It’s a good idea to know what to look for, so you can address any tree care concerns before they spread quickly.
