Can anything be done to  damaged tree bark

Can anything be done to  damaged tree bark

I have a white birch that is very droopy this summer and has alot of
these long, looks like seed pods, hanging from it.  Are these
sapping, sorry bout the pun, the energy from the tree and should I
cut them off?

Cheryl - damaged bark usually needs to be removed unless you catch
the damage the minute it happens. If this is the case, simply put it
back in place and tie it there - it will sometimes reattach. For
bark that has dried somewhat, the best thing for the tree is to
remove it with a clean sharp knife and leave the wound open to heal
itself. Don't be tempted to use any type of wound dressing unless
it's on an oak and there is danger of oak wilt in your area. If the
damaged area doesn't go all the way around the trunk, it may heal
just fine. Trees have an amazing capacity to do this.

Don - Without seeing the birch, it's hard to diagnose what the
problem might be. As for the seed heads, they will not take too much
energy away from the tree. Just leave them in place and make sure
the tree has plenty of water in dry times. You might look along the
trunks for D-shaped holes which indicate bronze birch borer, a
serious pest of white birch. If you see the holes, you will need to
use a systemtic pesticide to kill the borers. I would contact a
professional arborist for a definite diagnosis before using any
pesticide, however. 

Kate, I can relate to the "bare root flare", but my village refers
to something similar as 'root girdling'.  I had 2 magnificent 20
year old maples that all of a sudden started looking peculiar.  The
worst one was loosing branches high up around the center of the tree
- not noticable unless you got close up. The 2nd tree wasnt as bad.
There were so many trees like this in town that my village started
an experimental program to try to save the trees. Turns out that
years ago the builders were putting the trees in the planting hole
and then twisting or swiveling the trunk back and forth to set it
firmly in the hole. The roots in the hole twisted around each other.
The damage wasnt evident until the trees & roots got much bigger &
started to strangle each other underground. The telltale sign was
the 'telegraph pole' appearance at the base of the tree. They
brought in a type of air compressor & blew out the dirt around the
base of the tree, then went in and cut the roots that were
strangling other roots.  I lost one of my trees that was too far
gone, but the village saved the other & it's doing well 10 years
later. 

Mary - your are absolutely right. Root girdling, especially on
Norway maples, can be a real problem. And you can often tell by the
way the trunk goes straight into the ground. The girdling root
prevents normal development of a flare and can end up killing the
tree. Kudos to your village for catching this problem and trying to
do something about it.

Hi,

I have a bradford flowering pear tree that we planted about 4/5
years ago.  The second year we had it, it got some type of fungal
disease whereby black spots were on some of the leaves.  I had
treated the tree with anti-fungal stuff and also cut away the
dead-looking branches since the fungus was mainly affecting only one
portion of the tree.  The fungus went away and the tree recovered
nicely.  However, the tree does not have its normally symetrical
shape even a few years later.  It's growing fuller on one side than
the side that was mainly affected at the time by whatever disease it
was.  The tree is otherwise in good condition except for being
unevenly full.  The different is not severe, it's mainly just around
the bottom, the widest part of the tree and enough for me to notice.
 Should I just trim the opposite side to match or is there a way to
get the affected side to grow fuller?

We have a large multi-trunked Magnolia tree that suffered ice damage
earlier this year. The weight of the ice caused several branches to
break off and stressed a couple of the trunks. In several places,
the bark split vertically and peeled off in rather large sheets.
Does this affect the health of the tree? Is there anything I should
do? 

Susan - probably your best bet in this instance is to prune the tree
so it looks good to you. I would wait until early spring next year
or at least until the leaves fall off in autumn indicating the tree
is dormant. There is no way to force new growth in the empty spot
unless you can open up the area to more sun by pruning branches
above it. Good luck!

Melinda - there is nothing you can do to repair the bark on your
magnolia. The best thing to do is make sure the tree is not stressed
in any other way. Give it plenty of water during dry spells and
perhaps a dose of fertilizer this fall. Otherwise, just keep an eye
on it and if necessary you might need to call in a professional
arborist to see if there are any other issues with it. 

I have a maple in my front yard that has light grey spots on the
trunk, and the outermost leaves at the branch tips are turning brown
and curling up.  The beginning stage of this presents with brown
spots. The majority of the leaves appear variegated, but I am unsure
if this is normal.

Angela - It's virtually impossible to diagnose problems without
seeing the tree. First of all, I would need to know what kind of
maple since some varieties have specific issues. The gray spots
sound like lichens, harmless to the tree. The browning of the leaves
sounds like scorch, which can be caused by temperature extremes,
moisture extremes (too much or too little). Also, browning leaves
could be anthracnose, a fungal disease. I suggest that you contact
your local county extension and get samples of the plant to them for
further diagnosis and treatment. Good luck.

I learned a lot about the upkeep of tress that I didn't know. I
Don't do any yardwork..

several years ago we removed a large tree from a sloped area next to
our pation in the back yard.  all of the roots have since died and
we now have holes in the ground.  what is the best thing to do?

C. Stander - your best bet is to just fill in the holes and sunken
areas with topsoil and plant on top of it. You didn't mention why
you removed the tree, but if it was because of disease and you are
planning to put in another tree, make sure you do your research to
put in something that is not susceptible to the disease. Some
diseases are soil-borne and will remain for many years. Good luck.

LaTabatha - glad I could help!

My corkscrew willow has round nodules growing under the bark. They
are killing the tree. Any idea what causes this?

Jean - I do not know what the nodules are, except that corkscrew
willows have all sorts of "willow" problems. They tend to have
dieback all the time and are usually short-lived. Perhaps you should
take a sample to your extension office or call a professional
arborist to make a clearer diagnosis. Good luck!