At Liscombe Tree Service, we work hard to maintain tree health. Every region has its diseases, and over the years we've been perfecting the best tree trimming and preventative care practices to combat the ones most prevalent in the St. Louis area. It's challenging, but rewarding work.

If you have trees on your property, it's worth getting to know the most common diseases to look out for:

• Oak Gall (Wasps): Affecting oaks from Southern Canada all the way down to Georgia, oak galls, which appear as abnormal swellings, can be found on leaves, twigs, or branches, and are the result of wasp-produced chemicals interfering with normal plant growth.
• Hypoxylon Canker Disease: This fungus attacks the exposed sapwood of trees that have already been damaged or stressed. You might notice this fungus develop after an insect infestation, drought, a period of nutrient deficiency, or if the tree has to compete with other plants, like vines, for nutrition.
• Oak Wilt: One of the most aggressive killers of oak trees in the continental United States, oak wilt has been found in 16 native oak species. You can recognize it during the spring if you see wilted, water-soaked infected leaves, which may turn bronze or dull green before falling.

  

• Dutch Elm Disease: DED mainly infects American elms, beginning with individual branches and working its way throughout the entire tree within only a few years.
• Emerald Ash Borer: This species of exotic beetle, most likely transported to the U.S. on a plane or cargo ship, was first discovered near Detroit in 2002 and has since killed tens of millions of ash trees throughout the United States. The larvae feed on the inner bark, stifling a tree's ability to transport water and nutrients.
• Fire Blight: Mostly affecting fruit trees, especially pear and quince trees, fire blight can be recognized when watery ooze exudes  from branch and trunk cankers. By late spring, it leaves flowers and young fruit to shrivel and blacken.

For professional and affordable tree service, including tree health inspections, Liscombe Tree Service has you covered. For your free estimate, give us a call in St. Charles at (314) 650-9055. You can also visit our website.