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How to Identify Dead Elm Trees
How to Identify Dead Elm Trees. Dead elm trees not only create an eyesore for landscapes, but they also can host a number of fungal diseases. It is essential for the health of your yard to identify the dead elm trees in order to have them removed from your property. Monitor the live elm trees in the yard to ensure that they do not contract a fungal...
Dead elm trees not only create an eyesore for landscapes, but they also can host a number of fungal diseases. It is essential for the health of your yard to identify the dead elm trees in order to have them removed from your property. Monitor the live elm trees in the yard to ensure that they do not contract a fungal disease or succumb to the same fate as your dead oaks.
Things You'll Need
Knife
Look for defoliation, discoloration or disfigurement of leaves. Signs of early leaf loss can be caused either from the death of the tree or problems with the tree's health and ability to absorb nutrients. Elm trees are deciduous trees, which means it is normal for them to lose the majority of their leaves in the fall.
Examine the ground underneath the elm tree for an abundant amount of morel mushrooms. Morel mushrooms typically grow vigorously under a dead elm tree. Generally, morels will find the habitat under an elm that has recently succumbed to Dutch elm disease desirable, because they get many of their nutrients from the bark that is falling off the tree.
Determine if your elm tree had Dutch elm disease. Symptoms of Dutch elm disease include discoloration of bark, early defoliation and lack of wintergreen odor during the winter. To tell if your tree has been infected with the disease, cut deeply into the bark and look at the exposed wood for red streaking in the sapwood.
Scrape one of the branches of the tree with a knife and look for a greenish white underneath. Brown or black discoloration indicates a dead branch.
Check for signs of pest damage such as elm bark beetles. Inspect the entire tree for small white grubs under wood or black adults tending to eggs. Elm bark beetles are carriers for the Dutch elm disease, so it is important to rid your tree of these pests before the tree contracts the fungal infection.
Tips & Warnings
Prune diseased or dying portions and apply a pesticide that contains chlorpyrifos to remove bark elm beetles.
Remove any elm tree that has succumbed to Dutch elm disease to prevent the disease from spreading to the rest of your elm trees.
