Ask OSU Ext.: Tim's trees showing signs of stress

Q. I need some help with the health of the trees in my yard. The house is about eight years old and we moved in around January. Some of the trees are dead; others have a fungus on them. I need or would love to have someone help and guide me in caring for the ones we have left and to expand. Thanks.

Tim from Youngstown

A. After getting photos back from Tim about the trees in his yard, I knew exactly what was happening. The trees in the first set, beech trees, looked like they were dying. Knowing his home was just eight years old solved the problem. Beech trees rarely survive very long after new construction. In the pictures, the trees were very close to his home, where bulldozers and other heavy equipment would have compacted the dirt – and in places, filled in the dirt too high, covering the trunk flares of the trees. Basically, the trees have suffocated from smashed roots, depletion of oxygen in the soil and other issues from compacted soil. The dead trees with severely peeling bark will have to be taken out because they are completely dead. Some of the trees were also mulched. Sometimes we get too much mulch around our trees and cause even more problems. More details are located here: http://go.osu.edu/mulch5 and http://go.osu.edu/mulch6.

The second sets of pictures were of trees with moss and lichen. Moss is not a problem and will not hurt the tree. And the greenish-blue, flaky growths on the trees are lichen, a sign of good air quality. They will not hurt the tree. To read up on the subject, here’s a great fact sheet with complete details: http://go.osu.edu/lichen

Another thing to note about trees in the Mahoning Valley that have “peeled-back bark” on them this spring: We are at the point of infestation by the non-native, invasive emerald ash borer, and trees are dying in our area. If you see ash trees losing bark where you see “tunneling” from insects – I mean major tunneling – the trees may be dying from the infestation. Find out more about this invasive pest at: http://ashalert.osu.edu

Eric Barrett is the OSU Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources at the Mahoning County office in Canfield. To contact the office, call 330-533-5538.