What Are Tree Cankers?

You might have seen some ugly cankerous looking wounds in your tree. Those are tree cankers. You probably don’t know what they are. Keep reading to find out more about tree cankers and how to prevent them.

What are Tree Cankers?

Cankers on trees show up as isolated dead spots on the limbs, twigs, bark, or stems. Cankers could look like depressed places or discolored areas on the bark. A mold that gets into the tree and develops between the bark and the wood killing the bark typically causes cankers. Also, infections can be due to damage from chemicals, weed eaters, insects, lawnmowers, or environmental conditions.

A large canker on the side of a tree

The canker itself makes the tree extremely vulnerable to fungus, bacteria, and insects. Young fruit trees have a tough time recovering from cankers. Established shade trees could weaken and become prone to wind damage.

The healthier the tree is, the higher the probability it is to stop severe damage from a canker disease. Trees that are deteriorated by drought, temperature, poor nutrition, or other present diseases are way more vulnerable to canker diseases. Canker diseases appear more frequently on hardwood trees than on conifers.

Cankers Types Differ in Trees

Based on the area where you live, different cankers on trees are found. Some of the more usual types of canker in trees are:

• Cytospora canker is seen frequently in shrubs, fruit trees, and hardwood forest trees as well as more than 65 species of conifers.
• Nectria canker attacks pears, deciduous shade trees, and crabapples.
• Thyronectria canker is frequently seen on honey locust trees.
• Hypoxylon canker is seen in various species of oak, including white and red.

Effectively Treating Tree Cankers

Preventing tree cankers is the most effective method of protection. It is best to plant well-adapted or native species for your region. These tree species will undergo less stress and fit well with the sun exposure, soil type, and environmental conditions in your neighborhood

Avoiding stress is the most effective and best protection against tree cankers. Correct tree care is feeding, watering, pruning, and mulching that will aid in keeping your trees healthy for a long time. If you don’t have the time to take care of your trees, hire an Orchard Park tree service company to do it for you.