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Q: I have a tree that started losing its leaves in early August and drops leaves all year long. I have also noticed the bark near the roots is falling off. With spring coming is there any way to save this tree?

A: I visited your property and looked at your tree. Your tree is a red maple and there were several items immediately evident:

1. There are plenty of buds on the tree. They may not be easy to see because they have not begun to swell as they will in the spring.
2. Someone has recently climbed the tree using gaffs and cut off several upper branches. The use of gaffs on a tree instead of a ladder or rope is not recommended because they open wounds in the cambium that permit disease to enter and stress the tree.
3. There are other cuts made to the branches that appear to be approximately 5 years old that have not compartmentalized properly as they would in a healthy tree.
4. The picture you had me review shows your tree with early fall coloration on only one side of the tree. This is a classic indication of what is called "Maple Decline".
5. Your tree does not have the usual basal trunk flare and buttress roots at the soil line.
6. There is some loose bark at the base of the tree and evidence of some insect invasion of the cambium layer of the tree as a result of stress caused by the two conditions.

The first condition I observed is Fungal Collar Rot, which is evidenced by the early fall coloration on only one side of the tree. This is the tree's defense mechanism permitting the tree to go dormant early to save energy through the winter for the healthy parts of the tree. The second condition that is evident is 'Girdling Root', which is choking off nutrients to the tree preventing it from fighting off the fungi.

Suggestions:
Your tree is not showing severe symptoms of decline and can be treated with a fungicide and fertilizing. Watering the tree during dry periods may restore the tree's vigor and delay further decline. Your tree should receive at least an inch of water across the root base each week during a dry period. Treating your tree after the soil warms this spring would be advised. We would be happy to send you an estimate and put you on our schedule.

Q: Our prairie fire crabtree does fine flowering but afterwards we get very few leaves. What could our problem be and how do we remedy it?

A: My first inclination is to say that this tree is suffering from Apple Scab, a very common fungal affliction for ornamental trees in northern Illinois. However, your tree, Prairifire, is a variety of the Malus species and is resistant to the scab fungus. Resistant does not mean that the tree could not have the fungus and over the years conditions may have been optimum for the persistence of the condition.

Apple scab is hardy during the spring and early summer when humidity is high and temperatures are moderate. Spores that have overwintered on the ground in diseased leaves and twigs cause infections in the spring about the time your leaves expand on the tree. The peak of infection due to spore dispersal often happens at the end of blooming and secondary spores are produced to help re-infect leaves throughout the summer months.

There are steps you can take to control the scab fungi. Your tree needs three fungicide treatments 10-14 days apart. The first spray should take place when the buds on your tree begin to swell. You can also help by removing the infected debris wintering under your tree at the first opportunity in the spring, thus reducing the source of the spores.

There is another possibility; your tree was improperly planted, or is in soil that is not conducive to permitting your tree to thrive. In that case, you could be helped by fertilizing the tree and providing the proper mulch.

We could visit your site and give you a more definitive assessment. Spraying and fertilizing are inexpensive and the simple steps you could take to prevent conditions that would host the fungi by cleaning up in the fall after leaf fall and in the spring would complement our spraying and feeding.

Q: What can I do to save my Ash Trees from the Ash Borer Insects?

A: The Emerald Ash Borer is an insect native to Russia, China, Japan and Korea. Until 2002, it had never been seen in North America. It is suspected that they came on cargo ships. Originally found in ash trees only in Michigan, the Emerald Ash Borer has now been found in many areas in the United States and is fast becoming a nationwide problem. When a tree becomes infested, the canopy of the tree begins to thin because the borer destroys the water and nutrient conducting tissues under the bark. One-third to one-half of the branches may die in one year. Most of the canopy will be dead within 2 years of when symptoms are first observed. Healthy ash trees are just as susceptible as stressed trees. The borer can be controlled with a chemical injection. This injection method places the chemical directly where the insect is active without harming the tree. One application per year will kill the borer larvae and prevent further damage. It is important to note that treatment of trees showing no symptoms as a preventative is recommended due to the severity of the infestation and the lethal consequences of the Ash Borer.

Q: Several of my Peking Catoneaster were cut back to their stumps this fall due to a fence replacement. Will this permanently damage the bushes from growing back in the spring?

A: If your plants have been sheared down to the ground without branches six to eight inches long, the plants may not survive the winter. In they have canes of that length, the plant should survive if the temperatures do not drop below -38 F. The Catoneaster Peking can be successfully pruned. The best time to prune the outer branch tips to shape and reduce the size of the plant is in the early spring before new growth emerges. Renewal pruning is needed as the plant matures. This is done in early spring by removing the largest, heaviest canes to the ground. Up to five branches can be removed each year depending on the size of the plant. Light is important to the Catoneaster and you may have to 'pick prune', cutting out small holes in the surface of the hedge to permit light to reach the interior and promote budding within the plant. However, this is a moderate growth rate plant with a long life span. It will grow to a height of 6' to 7' at maturity, which could be as long as 20 years. It grows slowly at first, but after a few years develops at about 12 to 18 inches per year. Hence, the aesthetics of your plants for the first few years may not be satisfying, but, if you have the patience and the plants are receiving full sun, these plants may return. If you do not see any new growth on the plants, you can replant with new root stock once the soil is warm and use a product like Miracle Grow to foster their hardiness. This plant is native to Mongolia, northern and western China, and the Himalayas. It was introduced in the US in the early 1880s.

Q: How should I manage those visible surface roots that appear in lawns around well-established trees?

A: Cutting the visible portion of the surface roots is not recommended. We recommend burying the roots by rebuilding the grass around them as follows. Scatter roughly one-half inch of organic topsoil around the exposed root. Soak the area until you can no longer see the new topsoil. Permit the grass to grow and repeat the procedure in a week to ten days. With three or four applications the root segment should be hidden. Treat a sufficiently large area around the root segment to minimize any mounding effect. Alternatively, you may wish to place mulch around the tree as a means of concealing surface roots and producing a grass-free environment conducive to better root growth. Grass removal is not necessary; three to four inches of mulch will bring about decline and death of grass. A mulch circle of eight feet is a start. Enlargement may follow, year after year, if desired.

Q: Will my tree die because it was struck by lightning?

A: Not necessarily - although the exterior evidence of a lightning strike is often cause for concern. Unless the missing bark is quite extensive, the amount of damage to the root system and the invasion of opportunistic insects (borers) will be the cause for the tree's decline. The root damage can not be determined, so we advise a "wait and see" attitude for a six month period before spending any money on the tree's rehabilitation. When drought conditions exist during this waiting period, watering is advisable. If the tree dies within this time frame or the tree appears to be structurally unsound, we would recommend its removal. Removing trees for safety concerns, as well as preventing the spread of damaging insects, would be money well spent.