Arbor Masters® Certified Arborists have noticed a dramatic increase in Dutch elm disease in the Kansas City metro area. The highly destructive Dutch elm disease was introduced into the U.S. in the 1930's and subsequently wiped out hundreds of thousands of elm trees.

Dutch elm disease is caused by a vascular wilt fungus, and is carried from diseased trees to healthy trees via the European elm bark beetle and the native elm bark beetle. In addition, the fungus can also be transmitted from one elm to another via root grafts. Trees planted within 25 to 50 feet of each other can easily develop grafted root systems and quickly spread the disease.

On evergreens, these invasive insects look like cone-shaped sacs that can sometimes be mistaken for pine cones. These sacs contain the Bagworm eggs and once they hatch, they will start to feed on the leaves and needles of trees and shrubs. A heavy infestation on evergreens can cause extensive dieback and even death of the plant. On deciduous trees, the Bagworm will strip the leaves, leaving bare branches. Left untreated, they can effectively defoliate branches causing branch dieback and eventually kill the shrub or tree.

Staking or guying is usually installed on a newly planted tree to help stabilize it. This process uses a wire threaded through rubber padding or a vinyl hose which is then secured around the lower half of the tree. If staking is needed, it should be installed loose enough so that the tree can have some movement in the wind. This motion and bending of the trunk is to a tree, like exercise is to a human. The tree will naturally reinforce the area where the stress of bending takes place, making the tree stronger and sturdier in the long run. Stakes and guying should not be so tight as to restrict the movement of the tree. It is important the guying is checked on a regular basis to make sure the wire is not making direct contact to the tree bark. Strapping the wire directly against the tree can damage the bark. Stakes and guying wires should be removed after the second growing season to avoid damage to the tree.