Trees, like people and animals, get sick. How do you find a “tree doctor” if your trees show signs of poor health?
Leaf loss, in one section or across a tree’s entire crown, is the most usual symptom of a problem. Mushroom growth, regularly 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 choice for prompt, responsive tree treatment service in Horns Corners! Educated to detect and analyze diseases and insect pests, these tree specialists prescribe treatments for ailments that affect Wisconsin trees.
Alterations in leaf color are another symptom. Yellow leaves can be reflective of a fertilizer deficit, often with oaks. However, yellow is the normal color of leaves on a sunburst locust tree. A Certified Arborist understands 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 Horns Corners.
What are they hunting for? The aforementioned symptoms, of course. Another sign of note is crevices or cavities in trees, where moisture and insects collect. The goal is to spot ongoing or possible problems early. Avoiding a disease or insect infestation is much simpler than curing them once established.
Colorado blue spruces occupy many yards. A close viewing, though, might discover signs of Rhizosphaera needle cast, a fungus that attacks this non-native species. Brown needles, or piles of needles beneath a tree, are a symptom. Treatment can halt the fungus from decimating and eventually killing these lovely trees.
Another option – again, long before reaching this point – is planting trees with similar aesthetics, yet much more resistance to insects and disease. Concolor firs and Norway spruces are substitutes for Colorado spruces.
Other tree species in Horns Corners are vulnerable to fungi diseases, too. Oaks suffer oak wilt. Elms contract Dutch elm disease. Pre-emptive inspection can identify these circumstances in time to save the trees.
Application of fungicides can avoid 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 threats to residential trees. Insects are usually host specific, meaning they target one species. The lethal bronze birch borer goes after birches. Linden borers mostly target lindens.
The emerald ash borer has been an unwelcome introduction for Horns Corners homeowners. The Asian invasive has decimated ash trees across Horns Corners and Wisconsin in recent years.
Another invasive, the spotted lanternfly, is inching 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.
Avoiding insect harm, once again, is about proactivity. Repellents are applied in two ways: injecting directly into trees, or drenching soil beneath for roots to absorb.
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 Horns Corners.