For folks who live here in Buffalo and Western New York, along with other surrounding areas of this region, it’s that time of year to start preparing for the winter season! Before you know it, the fall season is going to be over, and winter will come through faster than you think. The reason why we want to prepare you for that is that winter is a time for trees and your other plant life to face severe weather and other dangerous conditions. This will lead to a handful of deadly tree diseases that can lead to your trees weakening and, in the worst case, dying.
Excessive amounts of snowfall, very heavy winds, freezing temperatures, and even ice storms are all going to be common occurrences throughout the winter months. Proper fall season inspection of your trees can help with preparing for the winter, but we also want to educate you on what diseases you may end up seeing.
In this blog, we will list several winter tree diseases, explain how they work, and how to stop them in time before they can hurt your trees even more.
Beech Tree Diseases
A very common form of tree disease you will see in the winter occurs in beech trees. There are actually two different forms of beech tree disease: beech leaf disease and beech bark disease. This tree is very common here in Western New York, more so in wooded areas with already established landscapes.
Beech leaf disease is caused by nematodes (microscopic roundworms) that eat into the leaves of a beech tree and cause striping and curling, turning it from green to colors like yellow, black, or brown. You will most likely notice the symptoms of this disease during spring and summer, but if you can inspect during winter, you will still see reduced buds and thinned branches from this disease.
Beech bark disease is caused by a beech scale insect that creates patches all over the tree’s branches and bark on the trunk. You will notice that these patches all look white for the most part. These diseases are enough to weaken and kill the tree in time if not treated quickly. We have written about beech tree disease in a recent blog post that we recommend you read!
Dutch Elm Disease
Dutch Elm disease is another form of a tree disease we have talked about before, and is very common amongst the American elm tree population, which is a familiar sight for many of you who live in neighborhoods around Buffalo. A lot of the elm tree population has been killed throughout the U.S., and with what few remain, we want to preserve them again this next winter.
The fungi that cause this are going to affect the tree’s vascular system and restrict a lot of nutrient flow that it needs to survive. During the winter, and even before it begins, you should inspect to see if there are dead limbs, branch dieback, or if the canopy structure is declining in shape and thinning out too much. There has been a recent rise in Dutch elm disease cases in this region, and we have explored this in our Dutch Elm Disease complete guide. Read more there!
Maple Trees and Birch Trees with Canker Diseases
Maple trees and birch trees are other very common trees in Buffalo and Western New York, and unfortunately, both are susceptible to fungal canker diseases. A fungal canker is a discolored and cracked area of dead, damaged, or diseased tissue on the bark, branch, twig, or trunk of the tree.
The winter season is a great opportunity for diseases like this to develop on trees, but they also provide you with an even better opportunity for inspection and diagnosis. When you inspect, look out for areas where bark is missing, if there’s stress on the tree, or if there are dead branches. Not every sign of this will mean it’s the disease, but it is good to point it out if you see it.
The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Hemlock trees are a very important evergreen tree here in the region. In recent years, they’ve succumbed to a massive threat: the hemlock woolly adelgid. This disease is caused by invasive insects that feed on its nutrients.
You’re in luck, cause during winter, you have a better opportunity to spot this insect if it’s on your trees. If you look under the branches and in the parts where the needles are, the signs of this come from small, white, cotton-looking masses. Yellow colored needles, branch dieback, new growth being reduced, and thinned foliage are also signs of its process. It’s more of an insect infestation, which should be made clear, but it’s still a tree disease that can weaken and kill your hemlocks if not properly attended to. Read more about Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in our complete guide!
Needle Cast Disease on Your Spruce Trees
Speaking of needles, let’s take a look at your spruce trees! A very common tree disease that spruce trees suffer from is called needle cast. The blue spruce specifically is known for its residential landscape planting all throughout this region, so we know how much more important this one is to people.
Rhizosphaera needle cast shows when infected needles on the tree produce black fungal spots that may eventually turn brown or purple and then eventually fall off the tree. In the winter, it’s important to look for thinned branches, discoloration, and dropped needles. Needle loss is a natural process that happens all the time, but when it’s more widespread under diseases like needle cast, it’s time to take action and stop it. Read more about needle cast on our most common pine tree disease page!
At the end of the day, early diagnosis for all of these diseases is the best-case scenario for you. The harsh weather of this winter season on its own causes much more damage, and the diseases are only a bonus to make it worse. For homeowners throughout Buffalo and Western New York, a certified arborist from Bradley Tree can help you identify the problems if you need help! If you have any questions about these diseases or need to schedule a time for us to come out and inspect your trees, give us a call or reach out through our contact form!