Tag twig girdler

Oak wilt

Common Tree Issues to Look Out for

by Texas Tree Surgeons Tree Owner's Guide

To keep your trees healthy it is recommended to have your tree assessed by an ISA Certified Arborist every year. They are able to spot issues that a homeowner may miss. Below are some common issues to intercept before they become costly problems for your trees.

Structural

Trees may have natural structural issues or may develop them in response to stress or other factors. Aside from breaking and falling limbs, trees can also develop instabilities in the root system.

Physical damage

Everything from nearby landscape maintenance to reckless driving can be a source of physical damage to a tree. Generally, the more damage is done to the bark and the layers just underneath it, the more impact damage will have on a tree’s health.

While trees cannot “heal” in the same way that animals can, there are ways that trees respond to wounds and can minimize the internal damage. A tree’s wound response does not usually need human intervention, and applying wraps or compounds is not usually necessary or advised.

Weather/Environment

North Texas is known for unpredictable, and often severe, weather. Storms, droughts, freezes, and high winds are just a few of the weather events we are used to. Properly preparing trees for the weather, and dealing with the effects of severe events is an important part of caring for trees.

Insects/Pests

Depending on the species, age, and location of a tree, it may be a target for many different insects, arachnids, and other pests. Some that are comon in North Texas are:

Diseases/fungi

As with pests, a tree’s susceptibility to disease depends on several factors. Some of the common North Texas tree diesases are:

Cycle of decline

No matter the particular type, all trees suffer from stress, pest activity, and potential for diseases. The factors contributing to a tree’s ability to recover from stress, damage, or infection range from the weather at a given moment to the genetic makeup of the particular tree.

Trees with certain underlying predispositions may react very differently to stress when compared to trees without those underlying factors.

Trees that have suffered recent damage may be less able to fight off an infection.

When considering the health of a tree, it is important to keep in mind the “cycle of decline,” the recurrent effect of internal and external factors have on a tree’s ability to maintain vigor and health.

Physical damage or poor soil conditions do not only have an immediate effect on a tree’s health, but factor in whenever a new stressor presents itself.

Failure to address these factors can hasten tree decline and death.

Additional Resources

The International Society of Arboriculture has guide of Tree Hazards

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! We hope this blog on common tree issues will help prevent tree failure. We have additional resources on our North Texas Tree Owner’s Guide. If you would like immediate assistance with your trees please contact us today.

North Texas Tree Owner’s Guide

Leaves Dropping Early? [UPDATED]

by Texas Tree Surgeons Ask Texas Tree Surgeons, Tree Health Care

UPDATE 9/2019 – We see twig girdlers every year, so we thought it’d be a good idea to cover them again! While this post is directed toward Frisco, we are seeing them all over the Metroplex.

Dear Frisco Arborist,
Why are little clumps of leaves falling off my trees and making a mess of my yard?

Texas Tree Surgeons is proud to call North Texas home, and we want to answer questions asked by residents of our communities. Here, a real Frisco Arborist answers a common question this time of year.

As we move out of the heat of Summer and into Fall, many changes can be seen in our North Texas Trees. We begin to see leaves fall from many of our trees. Live oaks, however, generally keep their leaves until the Spring, when they exchange them for new growth. While Frisco, Texas, may not get the dramatic colors of other areas of the country, the variety of trees can still make for an interesting Fall change.

At Texas Tree Surgeons, our Frisco arborists have been getting questions about clumps of twigs and leaves falling from trees of all species. These leaves and twigs are dropping too early for Fall, and can begin to accumulate in yards. Concerned for the health of their trees, homeowners turn to the Frisco tree professionals.

While squirrel damage may account for some of the leaf and twig drops, there is another explanation for a lot of the damage we see: twig girdlers.

What is a twig girdler?

“Twig girdler” is the common name for several longhorn beetles in the genus Oncideres. Twig girdlers can target any tree species. In late Summer and early Fall, the adult twig girdlers appear in preparation for the mating season. Once they have mated, the female beetles begin their preparations for laying eggs.

Female twig girdler beetles feed on the tender shoots and bark of young tree growth and lay their eggs in the small segments at the ends of branches The beetles also remove a notch of bark around the circumference of twigs in which their eggs are laid. The notch around the twig causes it to die, and it falls to the ground with any leaves attached to it. The eggs hatch in a few days and the beetle larvae live in the fallen twig, eating the plant material throughout the winter. In the spring, the young beetles finish their growth and the adults emerge in the summer, ready for the life cycle to begin again.

What can I do about twig girdlers?

For Frisco tree owners, there are a few options for controlling twig girdlers:

  • Once the twigs have fallen, gather up and destroy
  • Keep monitoring trees during the winter and dispose of any fallen tree material
  • Contact a Frisco arborist for Plant Health Care treatment options
    • Often, there is a pesticide application in the Spring to control larvae and one in the Summer or Fall to control the adults

What if it’s something else?

Twig girdlers are not the only cause of unseasonable leaf and twig drop. While Frisco arborists often see twig drop from girdlers, squirrels can also cause similar damage. At Texas Tree Surgeons, we offer a full range of Plant Health Care programs that are tailored to your particular tree and what is affecting it. We are always happy to have one of our certified arborists in Frisco come out and take a look at what is causing your tree to drop twigs.

While we can treat for many of the causes of twig damage, sorry, but we don’t offer a squirrel repellent.

Request an Estimate or give us a call today to discuss what options the Frisco arborists at Texas Tree Surgeons have for you!