Trees in the Urban Environment:

Disease, Pests, Prevention and

Solutions

The Three “D’s” of Tree Death

• Disruption - mechanical injury or failure

• Depletion - they run out of energy

• Dysfunction - a part or process no longer works

Disruption - mechanical

injury or failure

Trees Can Quickly Outgrow Available

Space

Tree that requires a 9 foot planting zone

…but is planted in a 3 foot island.

Avoid Cutting Large Anchoring Roots

Avoid Severe Damage / Pruning

Pruning and root damage Frequent result

Undesirable Qualities of Trees

• Dangerous– Limb drop, unstable

anchorage

• Aggressive Roots– Surface rooting, cracking

sidewalks

• Attractive to Pests – Bees, rodents

• Messy– Falling leaves, fruit, tree

sap

Right Tree,

Right Place

Depletion - they run out

of energy

• Sun Light

• Clean Air

• Proper Soil /

Nutrients

• Water - right amount

The 4 main Components to Tree Health

Understanding Soils

Soil Amendments

Improving Health of Chlorotic Trees

Two Step Approach:

• In Crisis – Help the Tree

• Injection with Micronutrient Mix

• Best Injection time – Fall

• Second Choice – Spring

• Long Term – Soil Change

• Injection of Soil

• Following Injection, in late spring when leaves are mature

• Repeat yearly to change soil pH and add micro-nutrients to soil system

Palm Nutrition

Potassium Deficiency Iron Deficiency

Magnesium

Deficiency

Manganese

Deficiency

Nitrogen

Deficiency

Boron

Deficiency

Guaranteed Analysis

Total Nitrogen(N) …………………..5.00%

5.00% Urea Nitrogen

Calcium…………………………………..12.00%

Urea, Calcium Chloride

• Liquid solution to quickly reduce soil sodium

levels

• Uses Calcium to displace sodium from CEC sites

• Very rapid activity

• Improves soil structure

Introducing Biochar

What is Biochar?• Water Management System

• Soil Amendment

• Fertilizer

• Filter

• Buffer

Biochar Benefits

• Holds ten times its weight in water

• Improves cation exchange capacity

• Attracts and retains micronutrients

• Carbon food source for micro-organisms

• Neutralizes pH and increases pH in acidic soils (liming)

• Filters toxins from the soil

• Reduces drought stress and runoff

▪ Promotes root growth

▪ Reduces watering

▪ Improves transplant success

▪ Protects transplants from

drought stress & shock

8 Components for Healthy Plants

▪ Surfactant Humectant

▪ Kelp Humates

▪ Micro’s Nitrogen

▪ Phosphorous Potassium

Water Management and

Retention Products

Hydretain ES Plus

NutriRoot

Road Median TreesMoisture management system extends available moisture for median trees.

90 DAT the treated trees have more foliage than the NTC trees

First Test on TurfDuring a Six Week Drought

Period

Hygroscopic Humectants

Tree Watering

Dysfunction - a part or

process no longer works

How are Trees Treated?

▪ Removal

▪ Soil Drench

▪ Bark Spray

▪ Foliar Sprays

▪ Injection

▪ Caps

▪ Cambial Injection

▪ Micro injection

into Xylem

TREE-äge® insecticide is a Restricted Use Pesticide and may only be sold to and used by a state certified applicator or by persons

under their direct supervision. TREE-äge® is a registered trademark of Arborjet, Inc.

University of Hawaii Study Erythrina Gall Wasp

Treatment Formulation/

Equipment

Rate AI/Inch

Diameter

Galling SeverityP=0.005

Emergence Rating

P<0.0005

Emerged Wasps/g

TissueP<0.0005

Imidacloprid Concentration in leaf tissue ( μg/g)

P<0.0005

Untreated -------- 4.8a 3.8a 21.4a 0.0a

Imicide/Mauget Capsules10% AI

0.15ml 3.3ab 1.5bc 8.9bc 2.9a

Pointer/Arbor-Systems

Wedgle 5% AI0.026ml 3.3ab 1.8bc 4.8c 7.3ab

Merit 200 SL/ w/Arborjet Tree

I.V. 17.1% AI0.77ml 3.5ab 1.3bc 8.7bc 38.7b

IMA-jet/ Arborjet Tree I.V.

5% AI0.40ml 2.0b 0.8c 0.7c 320.7c

Merit 2/Root Drench 2% AI

1.28ml 4.5a 2.3b 15.8ab 0.2a

10 Weeks after treatment

Why Inject Trees?

• Material injected into and stays inside the tree!

• Minimal impact to soil, water, or air

• No exposure to public, minimal to applicator

• Ideal for treatments in public locations

• Longest residuals, no photo or microbial degradation

• Treatment affects only pests feeding on the tree

• Best application method for an IPM program

Simple Steps to Inject with Arborjet

One Process, Three ToolsDrill Plug Inject

Injecting Dye To Demonstrate Xylem Uptake

Heartwood

Dye distributed across 8 yrs

Xylem Growth – Not 1 yr!

Treatment moves up

and down in Xylem

Translocation of Injected Dye Occurs within the Sapwood

Heartwood

Sapwood

Water

TreatWater

Tree I.V. System with Larger Trees

•First you measure

the DBH of the tree

•Then you put the

exact amount of

chemical in the

bottle and

pressurize the bottle

•Next you drill and

plug the tree

•Attach IV lines and

open the bottle and

let it push into the

tree

QUIK-Jet FeaturesPlunger with user-set dose

Pests of Mature Trees

Pine Beetle Attack Can Result in Rapid Tree Death

Green with few

attacks

sometimes can

be saved.

Yellow or slightly

off colored

cannot be

saved.

Red is Dead.

Western Pine Beetle

▪ 1 yr life cycle, Adults emerge from yellow-

red needle trees mid-June to late July

▪Peak for Lodgepole is Late July

▪Peak for Ponderosa is Mid-August

▪ Female seek large, green trees to attack

▪ 2 wks after laying eggs in galleries, white

larvae hatch (up to 70).

▪ Larvae grow, feed, then dig into bark for

winter, grow up to 7 mm long in the spring.

▪ The pupal stage ends late spring or early

summer.

▪ In mid-summer, beetles leave tunnels

and fly to new trees.

Mountain Pine Beetle•Female beetles release pheromones to attract males and

encourage mass attacks.

• Typical signs include: Pitch tubes, bark flaked off,

changing canopy color, woodpecker damage.

•Almost all Pines are susceptible

•Greatest risk to Pines:

•Older than 80 years

•Greater than 8” DBH

•Weakened by Drought, damage, or adjacent trees

Blue Stain Fungus causes

additional decline in Lodgepole

and Ponderosa Pines,

Douglas Fir and white pines.

IPS Engraver Beetles▪ 25 species in west, attack pines

and spruce primarily

▪ Most destructive species in

California is the five-spined IPS

▪ Early Ips signs include dust in

bark crevices, around entrance

holes, or on ground.

▪ Pitch tubes seldom present,

boring dust dry & free of pitch.

▪ Foliage of attacked trees

progresses from green to

yellow, red to reddish brown.

▪ One generation may be

completed in 21-40 days in

summer or require several

months in winter

TREE-äge® insecticide is a Restricted Use Pesticide and may only be sold to and used by a state certified applicator or by

persons under their direct supervision. TREE-äge® is a registered trademark of Arborjet, Inc.

Bark Beetle Galleries

Mountain pine

beetle

Dendroctonus

ponderosae

1/8-1/3 in.

Spruce beetle

Dendroctonus

rufipennis

1/8-1/4 in.

Western pine beetle

Dendroctonus

brevicomis

1/16-3/16 in.

Ips engraver beetle

Ips sp.

1/3-1/4 in.

(CSFS)

(CSFS)

(www.forestryimages.org)

Western Oak Bark BeetlePseudopityophthorus pubipennis and Geosmithia species #41 (fungus)

Host trees: Coast live oak

Entry-hole: Smaller than PSHB

Symptoms of Foamy Bark Canker

Disease

Bronze Birch Borer

▪ Attacks result is callus formation under bark as tree xylem recovers under bark

▪ Weeping and discoloration of bark indicate borer presence

▪ Summer heat a limiting factor for Birch survival

▪ Shallow roots affected by water, heat stress

▪ Healthy Birch can fight off Bronze Birch Borer

Bronze Birch Borer Life cycle▪ Life cycle 1-2 yrs. Depends on tree condition, time

of hatch, location (north/south) , temp.

▪ Develop faster in stressed or dying trees

▪ In vigorous tree life cycle is two years, or larvae dies

▪ Adults emerge late Spring to mid-summer

▪ Emerge from “D” shape holes, mate, lay eggs

▪ Eggs laid cracks, crevices, around 10 per cluster

▪ Larvae hatch in 2 wks. bore into cambium, create zigzag galleries under bark

▪ Damage caused by vascular disruption; water, food

Bronze Birch Borer

Can Attack all Birches

▪ Worst on: European, White-barked Himalayan

▪ Common in: Paper, Gray, Sweet, Yellow Birch

▪ Rare in: River Birch

▪ Treat with: Azadirachtin, Acephate, Imidacloprid, Emamectin Benzoate

Agrilus antius

Red Gum Lerp Psyllid & Tortoise Beetle & Eucalyptus Longhorned Borer & Bronze Bug

▪ Lerp Psyllids, like Eucalyptus trees,

are native to Australia.

▪ Heavy infestations cause honeydew,

leaf drop, sooty mold, reduce tree

health, trees decline & often die.

▪ Treated with Imidacloprid before

serious decline, insects die and trees

re-foliate.

Fire Blight

Incurable bacterial disease spread by

pruning tools and insects

For best control measures, treat with

Oxytetracycline in Spring

Prune out diseased wood 2-3 weeks

prior to applications

Limbs needs to be cut 6-12 inches

below disease site

All tools should be sanitized in between

cuts

TREE-äge® insecticide is a Restricted Use Pesticide and may only be sold to and used by a state certified applicator or by persons

under their direct supervision. TREE-äge® is a registered trademark of Arborjet, Inc.

Botryosphaeria Canker

“Bot Canker”

Dutch Elm Disease

Dutch Elm Disease

Banded elm bark beetle

Scolytus schevyrewi

Native elm bark beetle Hylurgopinus rufipes

Large elm bark beetleScolytus scolytus

▪ Dutch Elm Disease caused by two fungi, and vectored by several bark beetles.

▪ Most control methods focus on suppression of Disease causing fungi:▪ Ophiostoma novo-ulmi▪ Ophiostoma ulmi

▪ Disease also spread by root graft among elms.▪ Preventative fungicide treatment best, but

rapid treatment of newly attacked tree, coupled with sanitation pruning can save a tree.

▪ Current treatment options include injection of fungicides like Propiconazole.

TREE-äge® insecticide is a Restricted Use Pesticide and may only be sold to and used by a state certified applicator or by persons

under their direct supervision. TREE-äge® is a registered trademark of Arborjet, Inc.

Urban

TREE-äge® insecticide is a Restricted Use Pesticide and may only be sold to and used by a state certified applicator or by persons

under their direct supervision. TREE-äge® is a registered trademark of Arborjet, Inc.

▪ Soil applied TGR, reduces vegetative growth

▪ Decreases pruning frequency

▪ Enhances fine root hair growth in trees

▪ Helps alleviate drought stress

▪ Aids in construction recovery/root loss

▪ Useful in chlorosis remediation

Plant Growth Regulator for Trees

22.3% Paclobutrazol

Oak Elm Maple Bradford Pear

Tree Growth Regulators Cambistat

Profile

TREE-äge® insecticide is a Restricted Use Pesticide and may only be sold to and used by a state certified applicator or by persons

under their direct supervision. TREE-äge® is a registered trademark of Arborjet, Inc.

Success Stories: MI State

Untreated Treated

TREE-äge® insecticide is a Restricted Use Pesticide and may only be sold to and used by a state certified applicator or by persons

under their direct supervision. TREE-äge® is a registered trademark of Arborjet, Inc.

Success Stories: MI State

Untreated Shortstop

Thank you!

Dawn Fluharty

Northwestern Regional Technical Manager

Phone: 650-879-9622

Cell: 650-996-8291

Fax: 650-879-9986

Email: Dfluharty@arborjet.com

Web: www.arborjet.com

* Available for demonstrations