The Clare Conservation District is partners with the Missaukee and Isabella Districts in this program.  Through this program we share a forester who is very knowledgeable and has been with Conservation Districts for over 25 years.  Gary Bucklin began working in Clare County in 2000.  Since then he has helped over 500 landowners in Clare County alone with their forestry concerns.

For the past few years, more and more calls are coming in regarding different types of pests or disease that might be effecting landowners trees.  Below is a listing of all that can occur and what to do if your trees become infected.

 

Oak Wilt—A disease caused by a fungus and spread through root grafts or systems.  The picnic beetle attracted to an open wound of an infected tree can spread the fungus to an open would on a healthy tree.  This is the reason for no pruning or harvesting of oaks from mid-April to mid-September (from the time sap starts to run until dormancy).  This disease is fatal to the following trees that grow in our area such as: Black Oak, Burr Oak, Northern Red Pin Oak, Northern Red Oak and Scrub Oak. 

 

Anthracnose— A fungal disease that infects leaves and causes brown to black spots on leaf edges and along leaf veins.  Anthracnose is most common during cool, wet springs.  Microscopic spores of most anthracnose fungi are produced in infected tissues during April and May.  The spores are blown and splashed to the buds and young leaves and with favorable moisture conditions, penetrate and infect the swelling buds and unfolding leaves.  Long rainy periods help the fungus spread rapidly.  Rake or remove infected leaves in the fall by composting, shredding or burning.  Also burn the dead twigs and small branches.  Prune to thin the crown while dormant to improve air movement and promote faster drying of leaves in the spring.

 

Oak Skeletonizer— Sawfly larvae, often called Sawfly slug larvae because of their slime coating used to adhere to oak leaves, feed on the lower surface of the leaves.  By doing so, they leave only a fine network of veins which gives the leaf a transparent look.  Defoliation starts in the upper crown in the early summer and moves downward.  By late summer if the tree is heavily infested, only the veins of the leaves remain.

 

Twig Pruner—Preferring oaks, but sometimes maples, larvae bore into stems and cut off or prune twigs and branches 1/4 to 1 inch in diameter.  This can cause branches up to three feet in length to fall throughout the growing season with their leaves still attached.  To identify this, look for a small hollow center in the branch.  To control this pest, clean up all fallen branches and burn.

 

Gypsy Moth— Is a moth that was brought into the US for silk thread production.  This did not work.  This moth lays 100’s of eggs in a mass that is light to dark brown and furry.  If you find one, scrape it off the tree or wherever you find it and burn it.  There a few things that help keep the population of these destructive insects down: scraping & burning the egg masses, parasitic wasps that lay eggs in the caterpillar and chemicals sprayed during the early spring.

 

Emerald Ash Borer— Although Clare County has not been a hot spot for these pests, they can cause major damage if they are around.  This little green sparkling bug flies up to 1/2 mile from where it is hatched to lay its eggs.  Once these eggs hatch on the tree bark, they burrow into the bark and start to eat and grow in the layer right under the bark that is the main artery system of the Ash tree.  They eat and grow all winter long and the following spring emerge as adults and the cycle starts all over again.  In 2004, traps were set up in the county by the forester to see if we do have any.  This is why there is a ban on moving ash fire wood throughout the state.  This spreads the pest faster and more trees will then be infected.

If you have any questions or concerns, call our office at 989-539-6401 or contact Gary via email at gary.bucklin@macd.org.