Signs You Could Have A Diseased Tree And What You Can Do To Save It
Diseased trees can become hazards on your property if you don't deal with them properly. With the right care, diseases can sometimes be reversed so the tree can be saved. Other times, a disease can become too advanced before you realize there's a problem and the tree has to be removed. Here are the signs of a diseased tree and what steps you might need to take to deal with the problem.
Signs Your Tree Could Be Diseased
Tree diseases often show up by making changes in the appearance of the bark on a tree or by killing the leaves. If you notice the leaves on your tree have dark spots or are dead in the middle of summer, it's a good idea to call an arborist for a diagnosis before the problem gets advanced. Tree diseases can be caused by bacterial and fungal infections. Diseases are often preceded by stress from an injury or insect infestation.
Diseases Can Spread Fast To Neighboring Trees
It's sad to lose a mature tree to a disease, but it's even worse to lose multiple trees because the disease spread. It's important to take quick action when you have a sick tree so your other trees are protected. In some cases, the other trees may need special care and treatment to keep them from getting the disease too.
It's also essential to eliminate contact between the trees. The arborist may cut back branches from the diseased tree so they don't touch neighboring trees. If you do any trimming on the sick tree, be sure to sterilize the equipment when you're finished because some diseases can spread through tree trimming equipment.
Treatments Might Be Applied To The Sick Tree
Depending on the type of disease, the arborist might apply treatments to the soil so the tree can soak up the treatment and spread it throughout the tree. Other treatments might be sprayed on or injected. Injections require drilling holes in the truck so the treatment can be injected into the tree.
Trimming Might Also Be Needed
The arborist might cut away branches that are dead and unable to be saved so the tree can focus on nourishing the healthy areas of growth. They might also cut back some of the crown so sunlight can reach the lower part of the tree and trunk. This might be especially helpful for fungal diseases that thrive in damp conditions with too much shade.
Since tree trimming can be stressful for a diseased tree, the arborist has to be careful about what branches to remove and how much of the tree to cut away. If the tree has too much damage and the arborist thinks it can't be saved, they may need to cut down the tree and remove it from your property to keep it from falling in a storm because it's weak and sick.
Contact a local tree service to learn more about diseased trees.