Tree disease treatment are the lungs of our planet and are constantly under attack from microscopic fungi and invasive insects. Prevention, early detection, and treatment are your best bets for keeping your trees healthy and disease free.

Fungal diseases spread through spores in air, water and soil, and can kill a tree in just a few months. Typical symptoms include discolored leaves, fruit and bark. Some fungi are more aggressive than others, such as the black knot disease of plums and chokecherries, which form knot-like, coal-black growths that eventually destabilize trees. Likewise, the fusiform and eastern gall rust fungus attacks the thicker limbs and trunks of oaks and pines, turning them orange as they release clouds of spores.

Insect infestations can also have devastating effects on a tree. The aphid, an insect that sucks sap from the leaves of many species of shade trees and shrubs, encourages a black, sticky honeydew that drips onto cars, sidewalks, and everything beneath the tree. This encourages a fungal growth called sooty mold, which is particularly damaging to lindens and tulip poplars.

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Other insects that damage trees include scale insects, Japanese beetles, elm bark beetles, and the hemlock wooly adelgid. These and other pests can be controlled with systemic insecticide treatments, which are injected into the tree. This method of control is more effective than spraying, and won’t interfere with pollinators or other beneficial insects. Tree disease specialists can recommend these treatments, as well as other methods of pest control for your trees.