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White fungus on tree branches? #270952

Asked August 17, 2015, 9:03 PM EDT

We have 3 mature trees on the side of our house that we had assumed for the last 5 or so years had been increasingly dripping "sap". Now it appears that the culprit may be the white substance showing up all over smaller tree branches that looks similar to melted globs of marshmallows. We also have visible green mold on one of the trees, and another had large strips of bark missing higher up. I have attached several pictures. We are trying to determine if these are treatable (and if so, how to proceed), or if we need to remove them all. This would leave very little shade in our yard and the neighbor's, as it is on the property line. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

County Michigan

Expert Response

It appears that your maple trees have cottony maple scale. It is treatable, however your third picture shows more going on than the scale. It appears that your tree is in decline with the one trunk of the multi trunk tree showing poor health. According to the link I am attaching below from OSU, trees in a weakened state are more susceptible to cottony maple scale.

I suggest that you contact a certified arborist to give you a full evaluation of the condition of your trees. These trees are large enough that treatment by an arborist may be safer for you.

Information on cottony maple scale:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/ent-fact/pdf/ENT_62_15.pdf

Information on finding a certified arborist:

http://www.treesaregood.com/findanarborist/findanarborist.aspx
An Ask Extension Expert Replied August 20, 2015, 3:18 PM EDT

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