Diseased Trees And What You Need To Know

It can be difficult to tell when your trees have become diseased, and need to be removed by a trained professional. Keep in mind that just because a tree is damaged or diseased, it does not always have to be removed, many companies will provide repair services for your tree. But sometimes, removing the tree is inevitable. Consider the following steps for deciding on removal.

Inspection

Inspection is an integral part of knowing the health of your trees. You should inspect all of the trees on your property annually, usually in September or November, to be sure that they will last through the winter. You also should check the approximate strength of the anchor roots, if the tree is leaning much more than it was the previous season, it is a good indication that the anchor roots have been damaged. Check your trees after heavy or windy storms especially; this is when a lot of the problems occur.

What To Inspect For

There are a few indications that your tree is sick that you should look out for when you go to inspect it. Leaves that are an "off-color" or appear to be wilting where they previously weren't an indication of sickness. Look at all of the branches and leaves, just because the crown of the tree is healthy, does not mean the rest of the tree is. Trees that have deep cracks along the trunk and branches may also be diseased, and often begin losing structural integrity. If your tree has two cracks running together very deeply, than it may be time to call an arborist. Be sure to check where the branches meet the trunk of the tree, known as unions, to be especially sure there is no damage there.

Rot Spots

If your tree has deep rotting locations, or spots that are not growing bark at all, it may be suffering from a disease or wounding. If branches or the trunk are growing in a shape that is unseemly, or looks wrong, this can also be a symptom of disease, and even if it is not, a misshapen tree often lacks structural integrity. Keeping an eye out for wood that is extremely moist or flaky is also important. If there are soft spots where moisture has damaged your tree, such as mushrooms growing out of the base, the structural integrity of the tree can be severely compromised.

Some specific tree diseases do exist, such as Armillaria root rot, which can be spotted by the peculiar mushrooms growing from the base of your tree. Also, insects may be damaging your tree, causing leaves to yellow and appear scorched. Curling leaves on your oak tree may be the symptoms of oak tree blister, which can cause the tree to lose nutrients and die. Regardless of what your problem is, an arborist can help your tree. Remember, if you can repair your tree without removing it, you will be doing your environment a huge favor.

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