January Wisdom from the Trees • Tree of the Month

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January Wisdom from the Trees • Tree of the Month

Red Oak, Quercus rubra

text and photos by:
Lesley Bruce Smith, ISA certified arborist

The Red Oak is one of our more common and beautiful native trees in the Oak family. Although susceptible to Oak wilt, a fungal pathogen that is potentially fatal, the Red Oak species are an important part of our urban forests. I love their fall color especially. Yet they have much to commend them all through the year. They have a long history of ethnobotany, the scientific study of the relationship between the use of plants by people. The Iroquois people had an interesting use of Red Oaks for healing ruptured navels. Callus bark or the rounded healing growth that appears when a tree is wounded would be scraped off the tree. This was then dried and powdered into a fine dust and then probably made into a paste and applied to the navel to assist in healing.

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Fungal Diseases Abound on Trees - Spring/Summer 2013

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July 2, 2013 • Plant Health Care ALERT!

The extended cool temperatures (ranging from 50°F to 60°F) and wet and rainy conditions that are and have been prevalent throughout our spring season are going to create abundant fungal disease symptoms this summer.

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By clicking on the names of the diseases below you can get to our abstracts that explain these diseases in detail.

• Anthracnose, seen predominantly on both Ashes and Oaks

Oak Anthracnose by Lesley Bruce Smith

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 • Apple Scab on Crabapples and Apple trees

• Cedar Hawthorne Rust on Hawthornes and Cedar (Juniper)

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Even those who have had preventative treatments will most likely see symptoms in lesser degrees. This will be most evident with the Crabs and Hawthorns and it may be alarming to see leaves yellowing and falling early but what we focus on are the leaves still on the tree. We are trying to prevent damaging loss of leaves with these fungal diseases and because of the mild weather the trees have put out a huge crop of leaves and so even though they are losing some they have plenty to remain healthy. The record setting rains have made elimination of these fungal diseases impossible this year.

As always, if you have any additional questions on these

please do not hesitate to contact us,

Yours for healthy trees,

Gilbert, Lesley and the Arborsmith Staff

Other information on fungal diseases:

• Diplodia Tip Blight on Pines

• Dothistroma on Pines and Rhizosphaera Needle Cast on Spruces