Knowledgebase
Tree help #753708
Asked June 03, 2021, 10:40 AM EDT
Denton County Texas
Expert Response
Jamie, hi, I hear your concern. These were beautiful mature trees that have now been compromised. I know, I also have a mature ash in my front yard in the same condition. The best thing to do right now is to let them be. The tree will probably not die, but they may be late in developing new leaves. You may, in fact, continue to see twig and branch dieback for several years following this year's spring freeze injury. Since the buds had broken and leaves were formed, you may have had total death of the new growth and associated buds. However, trees often have an insurance policy in the form of accessory buds. These are smaller buds adjacent to the primary bud which suffered the damage. These accessory buds rarely grow and produce branches unless something happens to the primary bud. This is what happens when you prune off a one-year-old branch and a new growth develops at the base of the removed branch. This bud may also grow if the primary bud or branch is killed by insects, disease, wind, or cold weather. Later, as the accessory buds begin to grow, you will get a better idea of the extent of the damage. You may see growth beginning near the end of the twigs and branches in the tree if damage was minimal. If damage was severe, you will observe considerable dieback as the new growth begins farther down the branches leaving a foot or more of dead branch. Remove the dead branches by pruning after you have observed good development of new twigs and leaves. Do not apply heavy fertilizer applications. If the tree is healthy, it will contain sufficient food and nutrient reserves to produce the new growth.
By this fall or even next spring, the portion of each branch that died will be obvious. At that point, it would be appropriate to prune them back. While the trees are unsightly, they are alive and struggling and should survive.
Emerald Ash Bore: Another subject where Ash trees are concerned is the infestation of Emerald Ash Bores. They are migrating through the state and decimating the Ash Trees. Because these trees have been compromised by the freeze, you might consider having an ISA certified arborist look at them to insure that they have not been attacked. If the trees are clean, you might also consider taking a preventative measure. The first link below will assist you in finding a certified arborist should you decide to do so:
https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist/findanarborist
Find an Arborist - TreesAreGood.org ISA promotes the hiring of companies who have ISA certified professionals on staff. ISA Certified Arborists are held to a Code of Ethics and are encouraged to follow industry standards. Certification demonstrates the individual has the knowledge to perform tree work correctly, but does not guarantee the quality of the work performed by that individual. www.treesaregood.org |
These next links will provide additional information in the EAB:
https://citybugs.tamu.edu/2020/05/18/emerald-ash-borer-in-denton/
| Emerald ash borer in Denton - Insects in the City (Last Updated On: May 18, 2020) When Denton urban forester Haywood Morgan moved to Texas from Milwaukee, Wisconsin six years ago he thought he was leaving the devastating emerald ash borer behind. Instead the ash borer found him again. Morgan became reacquainted with EAB this month during a trip to look at some sick ash trees along a Denton, Texas street. After inspecting ash borer-like damage ... citybugs.tamu.edu |
http://www.emeraldashborer.info/documents/Multistate_EAB_Insecticide_Fact_Sheet.pdf
Jamie, I hope that this has answered some of your questions. If we can be of future assistance, do not hesitate to reach out.
Thank you
Shirley
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Question #0023639 has been assigned to you by SYSTEM (Auto Assignment)
Tree help
From: Jamie Reneau
Submitted: 06/03/2021 10:40 AM
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