Trees, like people and animals, get sick. How do you identify a “tree doctor” if your trees show symptoms of poor health?
Leaf loss, in one area or across a tree’s entire crown, is the most usual symptom of a problem. Mushroom growth, usually from a trunk or base, is another. A spate of dead limbs can be a symptom.
An ISA-Certified Arborist from Dorshak Tree Specialists is your top bet for prompt, responsive tree treatment service in Heath Mills! Trained to identify and analyze diseases and insect pests, these tree specialists prescribe solutions for problems that afflict Wisconsin trees.
Alterations in leaf color are another identifier. Yellow leaves can be symptomatic of a fertilizer deficiency, often with oaks. Yet, yellow is the normal color of leaves on a sunburst locust tree. A Certified Arborist recognizes the difference, and how to read the messages of leaf colors!
Preventing problems is the most sound approach to tree health. It’s advisable to have your trees inspected every three to five years by a Certified Arborist. Dorshak Tree Service, with seven Certified Arborists on staff, offers this service for free for tree owners in and around Heath Mills.
What are they searching for? The aforementioned symptoms, of course. Another area of note is crevices or cavities in trees, where moisture and insects collect. The goal is to spot ongoing or possible problems proactively. Avoiding a disease or insect infestation is much simpler than curing them once established.
Colorado blue spruces fill many yards. A close viewing, though, might find proof of Rhizosphaera needle cast, a fungus that attacks this non-native species. Brown needles, or collected needles beneath a tree, are a giveaway. Treatment can block the fungus from decimating and ultimately killing these stunning trees.
Another option – again, long before reaching this point – is planting trees with similar aesthetics, yet far more resistance to insects and disease. Concolor firs and Norway spruces are alternatives to Colorado spruces.
Other tree species in Heath Mills are vulnerable to fungi diseases, too. Oaks suffer oak wilt. Elms contract Dutch elm disease. Proactive inspection can identify these realities in time to save the trees.
Application of fungicides can avoid root rot, a condition that affects trees growing in wet soil. Root rot isn’t selective, either – its decay affects trees from a multitude of species.
Insect pests pose serious threats to residential trees. Insects are usually host specific, meaning they target one species. The deadly bronze birch borer goes after birches. Linden borers mainly target lindens.
The emerald ash borer has been an unwelcome introduction for Heath Mills homeowners. The Asian invasive has decimated ash trees across Heath Mills and Wisconsin in recent years.
Another invasive, the spotted lanternfly, is moving west after its discovery in Pennsylvania in 2014. The China native feeds on more than 70 tree species, including maples, oaks, lindens, hickory and black walnut.
Preventing insect damage, once again, is about proactivity. Repellents are applied in two ways: injecting directly into trees, or drenching soil beneath for roots to take in.
Just as you wouldn’t miss visiting a doctor for years on end, don’t gamble with the well-being of your trees. Contact Dorshak Tree Specialists for a complimentary checkup. Yes, their “tree doctors” still make house calls to Heath Mills.