#pine wilt

Tired of infested, diseased, and dying trees in your yard? Knowing the diseases that affect trees in Roswell, Georgia, helps you take preventive measures to keep your trees healthy and thriving.

New Image Tree Solutions gathered information on 5 aggressive tree diseases ravaging landscapes in Roswell, Georgia, their symptoms, treatment, and when to call a professional for help.

1. Oak Wilt (Ceratocystis fagacearum)

Oak Wilt is a vascular fungal disease that spreads rapidly through root grafts and the movement of beetles. It primarily affects red oaks (Quercus rubra), live oaks (Quercus virginiana), and black oaks.

Symptoms:

Sudden leaf wilting, curling, and browning at the edges

Yellow veins and premature leaf drop

Cracks and dark streaks under the bark

Treatment: Remove infected branches and apply fungicide injections (such as propiconazole) to nearby healthy oaks. Sever root connections between infected and healthy trees using trenching.

Call an Arborist: When symptoms appear across multiple oaks, especially red oaks, contact a certified arborist immediately. Quick action prevents spread across neighborhoods.

Prune or Remove: Prune only during dormancy (mid-winter). Remove infected trees when over 50% of the canopy is dead.

2. Sudden Oak Death (Phytophthora ramorum)

Caused by a water mold, Sudden Oak Death kills oak and tanoak trees. This pathogen also infects over 100 ornamental and native plants, including rhododendrons and camellias.

Symptoms:

Bleeding cankers with dark, sticky sap

Browning of leaf tips and margins

Twig dieback and branch death

Treatment: No cure exists. Contain infection with sanitation—remove leaf litter and infected branches and apply phosphonate fungicide sprays.

Call an Arborist: If cankers appear or several branches die rapidly, seek professional testing and diagnosis.

Prune or Remove: Prune during dry periods. Remove trees once the bark sloughs off or the trunk is fully girdled.

3. Pine Wilt Disease (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus)

Pine Wilt, caused by the Pinewood Nematode and spread by sawyer beetles, affects non-native pines, like Japanese black pine and Scotch pine.

Symptoms:

Rapid needle browning (fading from green to yellow to brown)

Resin flow reduction or complete absence

Entire tree death within weeks to months

Treatment: No effective treatment after infection. Preventive trunk injections using abamectin may help at-risk trees.

Call an Arborist: Contact a professional at the first sign of sudden browning in otherwise healthy pine.

Prune or Remove: Remove dead trees quickly. Avoid moving infected wood or burn it on-site.

4. Bacterial Leaf Scorch (Xylella fastidiosa)

This bacterial disease blocks water transport within trees and attacks oak, elm, sycamore, and maple species.

Symptoms:

Leaf edges turn brown with a distinct yellow border

Leaf scorch appears in late summer

Chronic thinning of canopy and branch dieback over years

Treatment: No cure exists. Antibiotic trunk injections may extend tree life. Reduce water stress and prune dead branches.

Call an Arborist: If scorch returns yearly on mature trees, consult a tree health specialist to test for Xylella.

Prune or Remove: Prune during winter. Remove trees once dieback affects over 30% of the canopy or poses a safety risk.

5. Anthracnose (Apiognomonia spp.)

A group of fungal diseases affecting shade trees such as sycamore, dogwood, maple, and oak. Anthracnose thrives in cool, wet spring weather.

Symptoms:

Irregular dark spots and blotches on leaves

Twigs and young shoots may die back

Premature leaf drop and reduced growth

Treatment: Prune away infected twigs and rake fallen leaves. Apply copper-based or chlorothalonil fungicides in early spring.

Call an Arborist: For severe defoliation across large trees or repeated yearly infections, consult a professional to implement a treatment plan.

Prune or Remove: Prune in late winter - Rarely requires removal unless structural integrity is compromised.

Key Considerations for Tree Diseases

Tree health is foundational to community beauty, property value, and safety. Here are vital factors to keep in mind:

Seasonal Vigilance: Many diseases manifest during specific seasons. Spring brings fungal infections, while bacterial diseases often worsen in the late summer heat. Conduct thorough visual inspections in early spring and late summer.

Proper Identification: Misdiagnosis leads to wasted treatment and prolonged damage. Always verify symptoms using trusted references or a certified arborist.

Avoid Improper Pruning: Pruning during active disease cycles can spread pathogens. Schedule cuts during dormancy or dry seasons and disinfect tools between trees.

Quarantine and Sanitation: Remove and properly dispose of infected plant material. Never compost diseased branches or leaves. Avoid transporting infected wood, which may harbor pathogens.

Long-Term Prevention: Promote air circulation by spacing plantings properly, avoid overhead irrigation, and choose disease-resistant species when replanting.

Note: Roswell, Georgia, is within USDA Hardiness Zone 7b (and has a lush tree canopy with oaks, pines, elms, and maples). Unfortunately, warm, humid conditions and dense plant life provide ideal breeding grounds for destructive tree diseases. These infections, if left untreated, can lead to tree death, hazards, and removal.

Roswell, Georgia, Tree Diseases

In this article, you discovered aggressive tree disease information for Roswell, Georgia (their symptoms, treatment, and when to call an arborist for help).

Your ability to diagnose and treat harmful tree diseases keeps your landscape healthy and safe, reducing the risks diseased, dying, or dead trees pose to your safety.

Ignoring tree diseases on your landscape can result in widespread contaminations, severely damaged trees and shrubs, and trees falling on your home or unsuspecting people.

Sources: extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1286&title=key-to-diseases-of-oaks-in-the-landscape ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-tree-02 ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/sudden-oak-death/pest-notes/#gsc.tab=0 web.extension.illinois.edu/hortanswers/detailproblem.cfm?PathogenID=19 agsci.oregonstate.edu/sites/agscid7/files/horticulture/osu-nursery-greenhouse-and-christmas-trees/onn120307.pdf content.ces.ncsu.edu/anthracnose

New Image Tree Solutions

Roswell, GA (404) 680-0041