Tree Health in Georgia

A tiny aphid-like insect native to Asia that feeds on hemlock sap at the base of needles. It has devastated eastern hemlock populations from Georgia to Maine. Trees typically die within 4-10 years of infestation.

Southern Pine Beetle

The most destructive bark beetle in the southeastern United States, capable of killing vast stands of pine trees during outbreaks. Adults bore into bark and introduce blue stain fungus that clogs water-conducting tissues.

Japanese Beetle

An invasive beetle introduced to New Jersey in 1916. Adults skeletonize leaves of over 300 plant species while larvae (grubs) damage turf grass roots. They are particularly damaging to linden, birch, and fruit trees.

Ips Bark Beetles

A genus of bark beetles that attack stressed and weakened pines throughout North America. While they typically colonize dying trees, drought and overcrowding can trigger outbreaks that kill healthy timber.

Bagworm

A moth whose larvae construct distinctive spindle-shaped bags from silk and foliage fragments. They feed on over 100 species of trees and shrubs, with conifers being most vulnerable since they cannot regrow lost foliage as readily.

Dutch Elm Disease

A devastating vascular wilt disease spread by elm bark beetles that has killed millions of American elms since the 1930s. The fungus blocks water-conducting vessels, causing rapid wilting. It fundamentally changed the American urban landscape.

Fire Blight

A bacterial disease that primarily affects members of the rose family, including apple and pear trees. It can destroy entire orchards in a single season. Bacteria spread rapidly during warm, wet spring weather through blossoms and wounds.

Cedar-Apple Rust

A fungal disease requiring two hosts to complete its life cycle: eastern red cedar (juniper) and apple or crabapple trees. It causes economic losses in apple orchards and aesthetic damage to landscape cedars.

Anthracnose

A group of fungal diseases causing leaf spots, cankers, and shoot blight on many shade trees. Sycamore, dogwood, maple, and oak are commonly affected. Cool, wet spring weather promotes infection of newly expanding leaves.

Powdery Mildew

A widespread group of fungal diseases that produce a distinctive white powdery coating on leaves and shoots. It affects hundreds of tree, shrub, and plant species. Unlike most fungi, it thrives in warm, dry conditions with high humidity.

Citrus Greening (Huanglongbing / HLB)

The most devastating disease of citrus worldwide, spread by the Asian citrus psyllid. There is no cure. It has caused billions of dollars in losses to the Florida citrus industry and threatens production in Texas, California, and other citrus-growing states.

Chestnut Blight

A fungal disease that functionally eliminated the American chestnut as a canopy tree species in eastern forests by the mid-20th century. Once numbering in the billions, mature American chestnuts are now exceedingly rare. Root sprouts survive but are re-infected.

Armillaria Root Rot

One of the most widespread and destructive forest diseases in the world, caused by a complex of honey mushroom species. It attacks stressed trees through root contact and can persist in dead stumps for decades, infecting nearby healthy trees.

Fusiform Rust

The most damaging disease of loblolly and slash pines in the southeastern US. It causes spindle-shaped galls on stems and branches that weaken trees and make them susceptible to wind breakage. Oaks serve as the alternate host.

Laurel Wilt

A lethal vascular disease of trees in the laurel family, vectored by the non-native redbay ambrosia beetle. It has devastated redbay populations in the southeastern coastal plain and threatens sassafras, avocado, and other lauraceous species.

Bacterial Leaf Scorch

A chronic bacterial disease that affects many shade tree species, particularly oaks, elms, sycamores, and maples. The bacterium is transmitted by xylem-feeding leafhoppers and spittlebugs and colonizes the water-conducting vessels, restricting water flow. Symptoms worsen each year as more of the canopy is affected. There is no cure.

Phytophthora Root Rot

A group of water-mold diseases that attack the roots and root collar of many tree species. Phytophthora thrives in wet, poorly drained soils. It destroys fine roots and can girdle the trunk at the soil line. Affected trees show a general decline that is often misdiagnosed as drought stress. Oaks, dogwoods, rhododendrons, and many other species are susceptible.

Leaf Spot Diseases

A broad group of fungal diseases that cause discrete spots on the leaves of deciduous trees. Most are primarily cosmetic and do not seriously harm established trees. They are most common during wet spring and summer weather. Many different fungi cause leaf spots on different tree species.

Spring Treetop Flasher