Tree Health Assessments in Pittsburgh, PA

Tree health assessments are for the tree you are not sure about: a canopy that looks thin this year, mushrooms at the base, woodpecker damage, odd leaves, or a big tree over the house that you would rather check before the next storm. We walk the tree from the root flare to the crown, note what we see, and lay out the options in plain terms, which might be leaving it alone, pruning, treatment, monitoring, or removal. Western Pennsylvania has several active pests and diseases right now, and catching them early can change the outcome.

Emerald ash borer

First found in Pennsylvania in Butler County in 2007, and now reported in every county. Signs listed by Penn State Extension include woodpecker damage on the bark, thinning and dieback in the crown, sprouts on the trunk, vertical bark splits, D-shaped exit holes and S-shaped galleries under the bark. Healthy, valuable ash can be protected with insecticide treatments such as imidacloprid, applied in May or early June, ideally before the tree is infested. An ash that is already heavily infested is usually a removal.

Beech leaf disease

Caused by a microscopic nematode and first found in Ohio in 2012, beech leaf disease has now been reported in all 67 Pennsylvania counties. Early on, dark bands appear between the leaf veins, easiest to see looking up into the canopy; later the leaves thicken and curl, the canopy thins and branches die back. There is no proven cure yet. Some treatments, including polyphosphite products, have shown promise in trials, mostly on smaller trees.

Oak wilt

Oak wilt is a fungal disease that has been in western Pennsylvania for years. Infected trees die back quickly from the top down, and Penn State Extension says there is no treatment once a tree is infected. The disease spreads through grafted roots between nearby oaks and through beetles drawn to fresh wounds, so prevention is mostly about pruning oaks only in winter and removing infected trees promptly. If one oak in a group dies suddenly in summer, have the others looked at.

Spotted lanternfly

Allegheny County was added to Pennsylvania's spotted lanternfly quarantine after egg masses were found in the region, including in Pittsburgh. The insect feeds heavily on tree of heaven, an invasive tree common along Pittsburgh alleys, rail lines and vacant lots. Removing tree of heaven from a property cuts down a favored host. Penn State Extension takes reports of sightings.

Decay and structure

Many tree failures have nothing to do with pests. Fungal conks on the trunk, cavities, cracks, included bark in a tight fork, girdling roots on Norway maples, and soil heaving on the side away from a lean are all things we look for. Some of these mean a tree should come down; many can be managed with pruning or cabling and a re-check in a year or two.