Your trees spend most of their lives battling pests, diseases and fungi.
Fortunately, your trees are usually able to protect themselves. But every once in a while, one of these attackers succeeds and starts getting the best of your tree. Problems start to reveal themselves a short time later.
Initially, you’ll observe minor symptoms.
Perhaps a portion of the crown has turned brown, or maybe the tree has shed its leaves prematurely.
You note the problems, but decide to wait a week and see how the tree responds.
But, as the complexities and demands of daily life take their toll, a week turns into a month. Before you know it, your tree is in serious decline, and it is probably too late to save it.
It turns out that your coast live oak tree (Quercus agrifolia) was suffering from oak wilt. It was doomed from the moment the infection took hold, but by neglecting to consult with an experienced arborist, you did not know that rapid removal was imperative for protecting the other red oaks in the vicinity.
Over the coming years, your remaining oaks succumb to the same problematic pathogen. If only you had taken action earlier, you may have been able to avoid this tragedy.
Identifying the Culprit
Pests and diseases are not the only factor that can cause trees to decline; a variety of abiotic factors can stress trees and reduce their vigor.
In all cases, accurate diagnosis of the problem is necessary to give your tree any chance of survival. A tree exhibiting dieback in a small portion of the crown may be suffering from nothing more serious than gall wasps or water stress, but it could also be suffering from a more serious problem, such as oak wilt.
Similarly, a few mushrooms growing from the root system of your tree may belong to a relatively harmless fungus or they may belong to a pathogenic variety that slowly compromises the structural integrity of your tree. Only positive identification of the fungus – a skill that is generally outside the capabilities of amateurs – will illuminate the proper course of action.
Guess wrong and you can end up removing an otherwise healthy tree, or, worse yet, you may come home from work to discover a tree laying on top of your home.
Some diseases and pests can even represent threats with far-reaching implications. For example, Huanglongbing – a deadly disease of citrus trees – represents a threat to the entire California citrus industry. Infected trees must be destroyed immediately to help combat the problematic bacteria and the insects who carry it.
A visual inspection is usually the first step necessary to determine the causal agent, and sometimes, this is all that is necessary to arrive at a positive identification. However, diagnosing most bacterial diseases and viruses requires sophisticated laboratory tests and analysis. It is often necessary to collect plant tissue samples, send them to a proper laboratory and interpret the results that are returned.
Don’t Wait – Get Help Now
If you suspect that your trees are suffering at the hands of a pest or pathogen, contact Evergreen Arborist Consultants without delay. With more than 30 years of experience diagnosing plant and tree illness, we have the skills and expertise to identify the pathogen tormenting your trees and recommend a plan of action for remedying the problem.