Are Your Trees Safe and Healthy?
Insects are the direct cause of tree death for ash trees and oak trees. The Emerald Ash Borer and the Two Lined Chestnut Borer.
Here is an oak tree that is dying slowly from the effects of the two lined chestnut borer. The tunneling under the bark of these beetles damage the flow of sap and nutrients to branches and they die.
Here is an ash tree that is dying from the effects of the emerald ash borer, resulting in the bark flaking off, with the help of woodpeckers. These beetles cause rapid loss of moisture in the tree support tissue, which makes the branches extremely brittle. These large brittle branches can fail and sections of the tree can break off even when some of the tree still has leaves.
Fungus is a common causes of tree death for Oak and Elm trees.
Dutch Elm Disease and Oak Wilt are caused by fungus that is carried to the tree by beetles and enters the sap of the trees. As the Oak and Elm trees try to block the flow of fungus contaminated sap the branches die. Both of these tree can’t stop the spread of the fungus fast enough, so in a few months time, the tree dies. The exception are white oaks, which slow the speed of the disease. White oaks can be treated with a fungicide injection to kill the fungus and save the tree.