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White Fringe Tree #808128

Asked August 26, 2022, 11:10 AM EDT

White Fringe tree has dying branches and what seems to be the main trunk. Leaves curling and turning brown and black. See images, what appears to be a borer hole and also some cracks or split bark below dying area. Other areas branching off below seem healthy. If I take off all the branches above the suspected area will the tree survive?

Anne Arundel County Maryland

Expert Response

Pruning out the trunk damage (especially the ragged wound that looks like a canker) is fine and the recommended course of action, so if the plant's roots are in good shape, than yes, it should recover and start to produce replacement growth next year. Fringetree tends to be multi-trunked in habit. We're not certain of the identity of the borer (it does not look like an Emerald Ash Borer exit hole, though they can target Fringetree), but often wood-boring insects target plants under stress. The source of the stress can vary, but usually it's due to environmental conditions like too much or too little soil moisture.

Miri

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