Last week, a friend mentioned that recent high winds had brought down numerous branches from several of her older deciduous trees, and she was concerned about the possibility of severe damage. I pointed out that most of the limbs that had fallen were already dead and likely had not caused further injury to the tree. The real concern is why the limbs had died. Was it because of advanced age or dehydration from drought conditions earlier this fall? Had some of the trees sustained a mechanical injury or an insect infestation, or was the cause a fungal, bacterial, or viral disease?
Damage to bark, limbs, and branches from mechanical injury, insects, and disease is more apparent when deciduous trees are leafless. Evergreen growth is dormant in winter, so observation of problems on pines, junipers, and cedars will be easier, too. If we become familiar with our trees in each season, we can treat diseases before they cause irreparable damage.
When you suspect that a tree has a problem, adopt a...