Common Tree Diseases & Pests in the Twin Cities

Your trees are a beautiful piece of your landscape and curb appeal. Protect them with Bratt Tree Company’s plant healthcare services.

With our treatments and preventative maintenance, we can help protect your trees against disease and pests. If you notice that your trees are struggling with cracks, fungi, or are just dull and thin, they may have an issue with their health. To preserve the appearance and overall health of your landscape, trust the team at Bratt Tree Company.

Tree Diseases

There are many diseases that plague the trees in the Twin Cities, including:

• Apple scab: A fungal infection of apple and crab trees, this disease gives trees brown spots on leaves and fruits. Treatment includes an anti-fungal to apply to leaves as well as removing dead or dying leaves from the root of the tree.
• Anthracnose: The fungal disease causes browning, curling, and leaf drop in oaks, ashes, and maple trees. Treatment includes preventative fungicide applications and removal of infected leaves. 
• Dutch elm disease: When Minnesota’s native elms get this fungal disease, their leaves will yellow and wilt. If caught early, treatment can include pruning of affecting limbs and use of fungicides. 
• Oak wilt: A non-native fungus can infect oak species by invading the water-conducting vessels, causing leaves to wilt. Treatment includes root cutting, fungicides, and removing infected trees. 
• Diplodia tip blight: This fungal disease attacks weakened pines and kill the needles at the tip of the branches. Treatment includes pruning diseased limbs, removal of diseased cones and needles, and application of chemical fungicides. 
• Dothistroma needle blight: This fungal disease causes browning and loss of needles in pines. Treatment includes removal of infected leaves, mulching, and preventative fungicide.
• Rhizosphaera needle cast: This fungal infection affects spruce trees, causing their needles to have back spots of fungus spores that can cause branches to die. Treatment includes extra watering, mulching, and a fungicide spray.
• Cankers: These localized dead areas of spruce, maple, and honeylocust trees require pruning to minimize the spread of the disease. 
• Armillaria root rot: When fungus infects deciduous and coniferous trees, the roots can rot. Treatment includes the removal of infected trees and trenching. 

Tree Pests

Much like fungal diseases, tree pests can also seriously harm your trees. Common tree pests in Minnesota include:

• Eastern larch beetle: This beetle infests tamarack that are stressed, eventually attacking healthy trees.
• Emerald ash borer: This destructive insect attacks ash trees and can be prevented by insecticides
• Forest tent caterpillar: These insects damage trees by feeding on trees and slowing their growth rate. 
• Spongy moth: These moths defoliate trees, leaving them vulnerable to diseases and other pests.
• Pine bark beetles: These are the most damaging bark beetles that attack pines and typically those that have been freshly cut.
• Twolined chestnut borer: These insects attack weakened oaks, killing them in two to three years. 
• White pine weevil: The most destructive insect of white pines, these insects cause trees to wilt, droop, and die.

Choose Bratt Tree Company

For superior residential and commercial tree services in the Twin Cities, trust the team at Bratt Tree Company. Since 1991, we’ve been committed to our community. With exceptional service from our highly trained tree experts and with tree estimates and upfront pricing, you’ll never get a surprise on your bill. With over 30 years of experience, trust the ISA Certified Arborists at Bratt Tree!

Call us today to discuss how the ISA Certified Arborists at Bratt Tree Company can protect your trees by calling 612-721-4153 or contacting us online!