We've discussed Dutch elm disease quite a few times in the past, as it is a tree disease that is rather common in the Kansas City area. The disease, which is caused by a fungus that is transmitted by bark beetles or root grafting, can be cause trees to die very quickly if measures to prevent Dutch elm disease are not taken.

Early spring is a great time to get ahead of tree healthcare issues with preventative treatments. Today we wanted to tell you about two treatments that should be applied in April – fungicidal sprays and pine tip blight/needle cast treatments.

When was the last time you had a tree care professional take a close look at your trees to evaluate their health? According to the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), trees should be treated much like people when it comes to their health and should have periodic exams and treatments in order to preserve and prolong their health.

According to a recent post on the Arbor Day Foundation blog, the USDA recently updated its plant hardiness map to reflect the potential affect that climate change could have on certain plant species. The hardiness zone keeps track of the average lowest temperature in the various regions of the country, which helps determine the levels of cold-related stress trees and plants are able to withstand.

As stormy weather is inevitable in spring and summer, we thought it would be a good time to remind our readers of some tips for dealing with storm damaged trees. Below are some tips we recently came across on the Missouri Community Forestry Council’s blog that will be helpful to refer to in the event of storm damage.

Today we are continuing our monthly feature on the trees of Missouri. Last month, we featured the Green Ash, and for the month of March, we are placing the Eastern Cottonwood in the spotlight. Below are some interesting facts about this tree species.

Most people look forward to spring. So does the bagworm, which is why tree healthcare is so important as the weather warms.

In the Spring 2012 issue of the Kansas Forestry Service’s newsletter, Kansas Canopy, the organization warns that due to a lack of snow cover through the winter, the soil may not be as moist as it should be, therefore leading to injuries to the root systems of trees.

Although the official start of spring isn’t for a few more weeks, the past few days have brought spring-like storms and high winds to Kansas and Missouri. The storms began barreling through on Tuesday night and continued through midday Wednesday, spawning tornadoes in some locations and leaving behind devastating damage.

On our website, we have shared a bit about one of the main categories of insects that cause problems with trees in our area – Plant Sucking Insects. These types of pests typically cause leaf discoloration, the wilting of stems and leaves, and premature leaf drop among other issues.