Distressed Elm Trees - Ask Extension
I'm concerned about 3 young trees that I believe are a variety of elm (although the bark, when healthy, resembles that of a cherry tree more than the ...
Knowledgebase
Distressed Elm Trees #482799
Asked September 04, 2018, 3:04 PM EDT
I'm concerned about 3 young trees that I believe are a variety of elm (although the bark, when healthy, resembles that of a cherry tree more than the deeply grooved bark of a mature elm). 6-8 weeks ago the trees began heavily shedding green leaves. Prior to that the bark showed signs of distress - looking as though it had been scraped or sanded. There is no visible evidence of bore holes in the bark. Can you please advise re the nature of the disease & remedial action? Thank you
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
Would you be able to send us photos of the tree? It would be helpful to see a clear picture of a leaf, a branch, and the damage to the bark. You can attach up to three photos to this reply. We will try to diagnose the problem for you.
ckc
ckc
Attached are photos of the leaf clusters (that have been falling as green leaves), the branches (as closely as I can photograph them) & the diseased bark. Again, thank you for any advice.
This is a Zelkova tree and it is normal for these trees to have an exfoliating bark. It would be more concerning if there were borer holes, which we don't see. The inner bark does not look exposed, so we think this is just normal peeling for this particular species.
Regarding the branches that are dropping, this could be due to squirrel activity. Landscapers have reported this damage in the past in Zelkova trees in early fall. Branches from live samples were examined under a microscope and the twigs had been chewed off in a ragged pattern. These small branches were being chewed off by squirrels. Zelkova also produces a small kidney-shaped fruit and the squirrels were dropping these off the trees. Squirrels begin to build new nests for the fall and winter. Zelkova appears to be one of the squirrel’s favorite trees to cut off branches.
ckc
Regarding the branches that are dropping, this could be due to squirrel activity. Landscapers have reported this damage in the past in Zelkova trees in early fall. Branches from live samples were examined under a microscope and the twigs had been chewed off in a ragged pattern. These small branches were being chewed off by squirrels. Zelkova also produces a small kidney-shaped fruit and the squirrels were dropping these off the trees. Squirrels begin to build new nests for the fall and winter. Zelkova appears to be one of the squirrel’s favorite trees to cut off branches.
ckc
