Check In On Your Trees This Summer

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has encouraged the public to do a seasonal check-in on trees in their yard or on their street.

Take a look at trees and ask the following questions:

Are the trees healthy looking?
Are there many dead branches?
Do you see signs of significant damage by insects, or signs of any invasive forest pests?
Do you notice any potential cause for concern such as off-color leaves, new fungal growth, or cavities?

If you have concerns, contact a certified arborist or tree service. Checking in with trees periodically and noticing any unusual changes is the first step in making sure they can remain healthy for years to come.

What You May See Now

Tar Spot: Noticing black spots on your maple leaves this summer? Your maple tree may have tar spot. Tar spot is a fungal disease that resembles splotches of tar on leaf surfaces, but it is mostly just a cosmetic nuisance. Heavy infections may cause early leaf drop, but the fungus does not cause long-term damage to the tree.

The fungus can overwinter in leaf litter in your yard. If you would like to prevent tar spot in your trees for next year, be sure to remove all leaf litter when the leaves fall in autumn.

Oak Wilt: In July and August, keep a look out for signs of oak wilt disease. Oak wilt is a fungal disease that affects both red and white oaks, but red oaks (pointy leaf tips) often die much faster than white oaks (rounded leaf tips). Oak wilt symptoms include:

• Most or all of the leaves fall off of the tree in July or August.
• Leaves turn brown from the outer edge back towards the stem.
• Leaves of all colors will fall off the tree, and many will still have green on them
• Dieback may be visible starting at the top of the tree and progressing downward.

DEC tracks and manages oak wilt disease in New York State. If you see these signs on an oak this July or August, you may contact DEC’s Forest Health team for confirmation.

Photos, from above: Maple leaves with signs of tar spot; and Leaves from a red oak tree infected with oak wilt, provided by DEC.