Has anyone ever had to call a tree doctor in the raleigh area to figure out what was wrong with a tree? Any recomendations?

The bark on the trunk of a couple trees in my yard is peeling off, and several of the lower branches are leafless and falling a lot. And a coouple months ago when I peeled some of the bark off the trunk, there were termites in it. I sprayed, and haven't seen any since.

9/4/2012 3:27:57 PM

It might be too late to save them. Anyway, call the nc forest service. They'll look at it for free (i think the county ranger there is a certified arbirist) and let you know if you can fix it yourself or if you need to spend the money on a certified arborist (the kind that actually fixes trees).

[Edited on September 4, 2012 at 3:49 PM. Reason : ]

9/4/2012 3:49:05 PM

Thanks! I've visited the nc forest services webpage, and I can't find any information about having a ranger come out to inspect individual trees, but of course that doesn't mean that they won't do it. I will give them a call.

9/5/2012 10:15:07 AM

I have a tree that's doing fine, but there's a huge bee hive built into it.
Any suggestions on how to handle that?

9/5/2012 1:17:55 PM

if they're not bothering you, don't bother them. bees are good, and on the decline.
if they are bothering you, you could probably find some beekeeper who would want to come and get them.

9/5/2012 1:27:56 PM

^^^they will come and take a look. Just call the wake county ranger or the district 11 office.

9/5/2012 6:34:41 PM

Thanks again!

I sent some pics to a friend of mine who has a masters in forestry. He said the cracking in the base of the tree was probably due to frost cracks, when sudden freezes freeze the water under the bark, which is fairly common in this type of tree and shouldn't be a problem, and the termites were probably just oppurtunistic with the resulting dead wood. The dead lower branches may just be self-pruning.

He admitted to not having a lot of expertise in landscape trees, so I still think I'll try to call the nc forest service soon, especially since it's free.

9/6/2012 9:48:43 AM

What kind of tree?

9/6/2012 10:28:27 AM

You can contact a master gardener for Wake County

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/masgar/


or you can contact the county extension office (which is the same number I think as the master gardener)

or NCSU has a plant disease and insect clinic

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/plantpath/extension/clinic/

9/6/2012 10:31:01 AM

^awesome, thanks!

^^i think it's a silver maple.

9/6/2012 10:57:40 AM

let me/the thread know how it goes, I am curious.


(also when termites make galleries in a tree.... it makes room for fungus and bacteria to move in, it is possible your tree is too far gone)

[Edited on September 6, 2012 at 11:01 AM. Reason : .]

9/6/2012 11:00:04 AM

master gardener lives on a street named after a tree

thats just so appropriate

9/6/2012 11:03:16 AM

I'm pretty sure that is the address of the Wake County extension office.


still appropriate though

9/6/2012 11:07:44 AM

I'm a registered forester and stayed in wood hall at NCSU. Now I live on timberlane dr. Funny how these things happen.

9/7/2012 4:41:12 AM

Auburn has tree doctors, try calling them

9/7/2012 10:35:46 AM

maples drop limbs like crazy and silvers especially can have exfoliating bark. healthy maturing maples will drop enough sticks that picking up deadfall at least a few times a year is warranted. These branches get damaged in storms or become entirely shaded by the younger parts of the tree and subsequently weaken and are cut off by the tree. benign fungus that attacks dead wood set in and, with help from the elements, further weaken the branch and it eventually is shed by the tree.

of course, most mature trees are trimmed up to a certain height for ease of passage beneath/aesthetics, which also minimizes the larger dying limbs falling willy-nilly. what height are the branches falling from, and their approximate diameter? also, the diameter and height of the tree will help indicate their relative age. Has it been heavily pruned in its life?

cracking bark can be benign in this species, but you should check the depth of the cracks. If you see the cambium (growing layer- would be greenish or brownish) or any wood exposed in the depths of the cracks, you have more reason to be concerned. observe the color and appearance of the wood if it is visible.

look at some of the younger bark (limbs 3-4" in diameter and below), it should be very smooth (though dappled with colors), crack-free, and check for any eruptions or other signs of fungus. any spotting in the leaves? Usually a benign condition, but indicates stress.

Trees mostly get weak due to water stress, which can be caused by weather conditions or damage to the roots. any construction occur nearby recently? how many square feet of surface area do the trees have to absorb water? did you water other parts of your yard during dry periods this summer?

9/7/2012 11:08:39 AM

Thanks! I haven't had time to call anyone yet or do anything, and don't have time right now to respond to all that ^, but I'll try to in the next few days. I really appreciate the help!

9/7/2012 4:18:06 PM

^^^^^Shagbark Hickory. My favorite tree!

[Edited on September 8, 2012 at 3:20 PM. Reason : R]

9/8/2012 3:19:48 PM

Thanks again for the help, any info is more than I knew before. The trees are about 30/40 feet tall, maybe about a foot in diameter. I've only been maintaining the yard for about 6 months, and I know very little about trees.

Quote :

"what height are the branches falling from, and their approximate diameter?"

I've picked up a handful of tiny branches (0.5-1") every month for the last 6 months, and two larger limbs (2-3"). The dead limbs (2-3") are mostly about 8-15' high, although they go up a little higher on on one side of one of the trees.

Quote :

"Has it been heavily pruned in its life? "

It doesn't look like it's been pruned much at all, that i can tell. I did see a few places where 1" branches were chopped in the last few years, but that's all I saw.

Quote :

"cracking bark can be benign in this species, but you should check the depth of the cracks. If you see the cambium (growing layer- would be greenish or brownish) or any wood exposed in the depths of the cracks, you have more reason to be concerned. observe the color and appearance of the wood if it is visible."

The cracks aren't over an inch deep, and I don't think I'm seeing any growing brown/green cambium. The bark around a few of the cracks are blackish.

Quote :

"look at some of the younger bark (limbs 3-4" in diameter and below), it should be very smooth (though dappled with colors), crack-free, and check for any eruptions or other signs of fungus. any spotting in the leaves? Usually a benign condition, but indicates stress."

The bark on the tree 5 feet and above looks healthy and smooth. No cracks or signs of fungus, and no spotting leaves.

Quote :

"how many square feet of surface area do the trees have to absorb water? did you water other parts of your yard during dry periods this summer?"

I never water any of this part of the yard. Each tree is on a slight incline and surrounded by impervious surface. The trees have a surface area of about 6'x10'x10'x15'. Maybe the couple weeks of 105+ heat and no rain killed some of the older/lower branches?

9/9/2012 10:23:45 PM

well, all your responses indicate that your trees are fairly young (planted there 10-15 years ago) and healthy, but you should be aware that trees need watering when it doesn't rain at least an inch per week. This is especially important for you since it sounds like at least part of the root system may be blocked. A healthy shade tree has roots that extend out at least as far as the edges of the branches in all directions.


you want a broadcast sprinkler and a rain gauge, and let the sprinkler run until there is 1 inch of water in the rain gauge. after you do it a couple times you can estimate how long you let it run and just time it in the future, assuming you're not running appliances or the shower, etc and water pressure is equal.



the other issue is that your trees need pruning to maintain aesthetic value and prevent storm damage.
you can remove damaged limbs and the stumps of the old broken limbs, and I recommend clearing the trunk up to a height of 10 feet or so.

remember, it's better to anticipate that a limb will become a problem in years to come and remove it while still small than allow it to become problematic before taking action. The tree will be more beautiful and recover more completely.

here are a couple of guides to help. you absolutely should consult a pro if you're not sure how to shape the tree.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/text/pruning.html

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/agpubs/ag-071.pdf


keep an eye on those cracks and it is a good idea to survey every couple of weeks to make sure that none of these conditions have changed.

[Edited on September 10, 2012 at 12:38 PM. Reason : ]

9/10/2012 12:36:32 PM

Thanks for all the help! I'm going to read your comments and looks in more detail later.

9/10/2012 3:11:44 PM

Thanks for everyone's help! II contacted the Wake County Master Gardner, who got me int ouch with the NCSU Plant Clinic, who offered some helpful advice.

I've finally gotten in touch with the NC Division of Forest Resources, who will be sending someone out to check on it in the near future. I'll let yall know how it goes.

In the meantime, go the the "Sleep Number" thread and help me pick out a mattress!

9/26/2012 10:36:12 AM