| Tree Health
Trees are generally able to defend themselves to some extent at every stage of their lives. They produce many types of chemical compounds as protection against harmful fungi, herbivores, and even other plants. These compounds can be found in most parts of the tree, and some can even be emitted into the air (think of the smell of pines or eucalyptus trees). Some trees may put as much as 15 percent of their energy resources toward chemical defenses, which helps explain why stressed trees, whose energy resources are depleted, are more prone to attack and damage.
Preventive Care
Since healthy trees are much better at fending off a pest or disease attack than stressed trees, your best approach is to create a tree-friendly environment and be vigilant:
- Keep trees watered and mulched as needed.
- Protect the tree's root zone and soil from compaction and contamination.
- Avoid overpruning and topping.
- Monitor trees during the growing season for key pests in your area.
- Check with your state cooperative extension for updates on pest problems and resistant tree species or cultivars.
- Plant insect and disease-resistant species and cultivars when there is an insect or disease problem in your area.
In addition, try to monitor your trees' health by looking for signs of pests or diseases and other changes and abnormalities, such as stem or twig dieback, excessive deadwood, wilting, discoloration of leaves, early fall color, and early leaf drop. Periodically check for spots or feeding damage on the leaves and for fungal growth on the trunk, branches, or leaves. Take note of loose or dropped bark, suckering at the base of the tree, or water sprouts on the branches.
If a problem is identified early, a tree can most likely be treated using nontoxic methods. Local public gardens and state cooperative extension services are great resources. They will help you identify insects and plant diseases and keep you updated on invasive pests that may be heading toward your area.
Many landscape and tree services offer maintenance packages that can do the work for you. Promoting a holistic approach to tree care, integrated pest management (IPM) and preventive health care (PHC) have emerged as industry standards in recent years. Integrated pest management entails identifying pests and managing them with the least invasive strategy possible. Preventive health care is aimed at keeping trees strong and healthy so that they will be better able to defend themselves if there is an infestation. A PHC company will visit your property up to several times a month in the growing season to survey plants for insects and diseases and other problems.
We will monitor the health of your trees with regular inspections.
|