What’s Wrong With My Tree? Free Tree Symptom Checker

How can you tell if a tree is dying?

Common signs are leaves that come out late, small or not at all, dead branches at the top, bark falling off over bare wood, and twigs that snap instead of bend. One sign alone doesn’t settle it, so compare with trees of the same kind nearby and try the scratch test.

• Scratch test: scrape a tiny strip of bark on a thin twig with your thumbnail. Green, moist wood underneath is a good sign. Brown and dry can be a sign that twig may not be alive. Try twigs on several sides of the tree.
• Give late trees time: black walnut, honey locust, Kentucky coffeetree, catalpa, hickory and sycamore often leaf out late. Iowa State Extension suggests waiting until about June 1 before deciding a tree didn’t make it.

If a big tree may not be alive and could hit a house, car or path, the Tree Risk Self-Check can give a general idea of the possible risk.

Why are my tree’s leaves turning yellow or brown?

Water problems are a common cause: too little in a drought or heat wave, or too much in soggy soil. Leaf spot diseases, insects, weed killer, a nutrient problem and normal fall color can look alike.

Where it shows is a clue:

• All over the tree: often water, heat or root stress.
• One side or one branch: can point to root or trunk damage on that side.
• Brown, crispy leaf edges: often heat and drought.
• Yellow leaves with green veins: can be a sign of a nutrient problem, often tied to soil pH.
• New leaves twisted, curled or cupped: can be a sign of weed killer injury, showing up days or weeks after a lawn treatment.

Why is my evergreen turning brown?

If only the inside needles near the trunk turn yellow or brown in fall, and the tips stay green, it’s often normal needle drop. Arborvitae, pines and other evergreens shed their oldest needles this way.

Brown tips, browning on one side, or whole brown branches are a different pattern. That can point to winter burn, drought, insects like bagworms, or a needle or canker disease, and it may be worth a closer look.

Are mushrooms or fungus on a tree a bad sign?

It depends on where they grow. Mushrooms out in the lawn or mulch often feed on old roots or buried wood and may not mean much, while mushrooms or hard, shelf-like conks on the trunk, base or big roots can be a sign of decay inside the wood.

Knocking off a conk doesn’t fix anything, because the fungus lives inside the wood. If decay shows up at the base of a big tree, an arborist can check how much sound wood is left. Fungus on leaves is different: leaf spots and powdery mildew are often mostly cosmetic, even when they look bad.

What do holes, sawdust or bugs on a tree mean?

Neat rows of small holes are usually from sapsuckers, a kind of woodpecker, and light damage often does little harm. Sawdust, scattered small holes, or sap leaking from holes can be signs of wood-boring insects, which often go after trees that are already stressed.

• Ash trees: small D-shaped holes, about 1/8 inch wide, can be a sign of emerald ash borer. Ash trees treated early, before they lose much of their canopy, tend to respond best.
• A big, shiny black beetle with white spots and long striped antennae: the USDA asks you to report it right away. It may be the Asian longhorned beetle (hotline 1-866-702-9938).
• Sticky leaves, or a black, sooty coat on leaves, cars or patios: usually from sap-feeding insects, like aphids, scale or spotted lanternfly.

Why is sap oozing from my tree?

A little clear sap from a fresh cut or wound is usually normal. A dark, wet streak that smells sour is often slime flux, which tends to do little harm, while sap from small holes or a sunken patch on the bark can point to borers or a canker.

Don’t drill holes or add tubes to drain a wet streak. That makes new wounds.

Why is bark peeling or falling off my tree?

Some trees peel as they grow, like sycamore, river birch, paper birch, paperbark maple and lacebark elm, with fresh bark underneath. Bark falling off in pieces with bare, dry wood underneath is different, and can be a sign that part of the tree may not be alive.

Black bark is often sooty mold growing on insect drip. A sunken, cracked patch can be a canker. Maple bark that splits has its own causes; see why maple tree bark splits.

Is a split trunk or a new lean an emergency?

It can be. An open split you can see into, a crack that moves in the wind, or a new lean with soil lifting at the base may need prompt attention, so consider keeping people, pets and cars away and having an arborist look as soon as you can.

The Tree Risk Self-Check can give a general idea of the possible risk. If a tree touches or leans on a power line, stay away from the tree and the line, and call your electric utility.

Can a dying tree be saved?

Sometimes, if the cause is found early. Stress from drought, packed soil, a buried root flare or mulch piled on the trunk can often be fixed, while a tree with major decay at the base, or most of its crown gone, may be better removed.

What tends to help:

• A slow, deep soak during long dry spells.
• Mulch 2 to 4 inches deep in a wide, flat ring, pulled back so the trunk base shows.
• Keeping cars, equipment and piles of soil off the roots.

What to avoid:

• Heavy fertilizer on a stressed tree.
• Topping the tree, or removing more than about a quarter of its leaves in one year.
• Wound paint or tar. It doesn’t stop decay.

Our plant health care team looks for the cause first, with lab tests when needed. If a tree can’t be saved, see tree removal.