Trees, like people and animals, get ill. How do you identify a “tree doctor” if your trees show evidence of poor health?
Leaf loss, in one area or across a tree’s entire crown, is the most typical indicator 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 best bet for prompt, responsive tree treatment service in Kohlsville! Trained to identify and diagnose diseases and insect pests, these tree specialists prescribe solutions for ailments that afflict Wisconsin trees.
Alterations in leaf color are another identifier. Yellow leaves can be symptomatic of a fertilizer deficit, often with oaks. However, yellow is the normal color of leaves on a sunburst locust tree. A Certified Arborist knows the difference, and how to interpret 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 Kohlsville.
What are they watching for? The aforementioned symptoms, of course. Another sign of note is crevices or cavities in trees, where moisture and insects gather. The goal is to identify ongoing or potential problems early. Avoiding a disease or insect infestation is much easier than curing them once established.
Colorado blue spruces fill many yards. A close look, though, might discover proof of Rhizosphaera needle cast, a fungus that attacks this non-native species. Brown needles, or piles of needles beneath a tree, are a giveaway. Treatment can thwart the fungus from devastating and eventually killing these beautiful trees.
Another possibility – 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 substitutes for Colorado spruces.
Other tree species in Kohlsville are susceptible to fungi diseases, too. Oaks suffer oak wilt. Elms contract Dutch elm disease. Pre-emptive inspection can identify these conditions in time to save the trees.
Application of fungicides can prevent root rot, an ailment that afflicts trees growing in wet soil. Root rot isn’t picky, either – its decay affects trees from a variety of species.
Insect pests pose serious dangers to residential trees. Insects are usually host specific, meaning they target one species. The deadly bronze birch borer goes after birches. Linden borers mostly target lindens.
The emerald ash borer has been an unwelcome introduction for Kohlsville homeowners. The Asian invasive has decimated ash trees across Kohlsville 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 harm, once again, is often a matter of 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 skip 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 Kohlsville.