Hackberry Trees Shedding Bark - Ask Extension
I am writing with a question about two of our Hackberry trees. These trees survived the very hard winter. During the summer drought they started losin...
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Hackberry Trees Shedding Bark #855323
Asked November 15, 2023, 2:34 AM EST
I am writing with a question about two of our Hackberry trees. These trees survived the very hard winter. During the summer drought they started losing leaves though the other Hackberry trees did not. Shortly after the October rains, only these two Hackberry trees started shedding their bark. The smaller tree has started putting on leaves but the larger one has not.
I wondered if you had any idea what caused the bark shedding in just these two trees and what we could do to help them survive.
Thank you very much for your assistance.
Williamson County Texas
Expert Response
Hello!
This is a bad case of hypoxylon canker. This fungus can show up on stressed trees. Considering the drought over the summer and the previous freezes and last year's drought, we are seeing a lot of stress-induced issues with trees. Spores are spread by rain or wind.
Chemical treatments are not effective, unfortunately. Just maintain healthy conditions and avoid further injury to the trunk or limbs. However, in some cases, infected trees should be removed to prevent infection of other susceptible species nearby.
Our plant diagnostic lab has more information here.
https://plantclinic.tamu.edu/calendar2019/hypoxylon-canker-on-sycamore/hypoxylon_oak/
