Steve Nix is a member of the Society of American Foresters and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. The term " canker" is used to describe a killed area or blister on the bark, ...

New plant pests and diseases recently introduced into Southern California are killing native trees and could dramatically change natural ecosystems. Oaks that have thrived in the region for centuries ...

When a branch falls or a tree dies, one common reason is a group of diseases with an especially ominous name: canker diseases. “Canker” comes from the same root as “cancer.” Like cancers, cankers can ...

Akif Eskalen was on the hunt for more than two years. His target? An exotic beetle that made its way to Southern California, where it infected 20 types of trees with a harmful fungus. A few months ago ...

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today. A fungus never before seen in ...

Q. In late spring, you wrote about canker on maple trees. The description fit the problem with our Norway maple perfectly. Our tree was planted by the builder about two years ago. We initially thought ...

California's coast live oaks are facing a big, new threat carried by a tiny, burrowing beetle. Foamy bark canker disease develops from a fungus hosted by western oak bark beetles -- and it is very bad ...

Q: What could be causing my tree to be so ragged looking and leafless? My neighbors' trees, which appear to be the same type, look fine and looked this way the past four or five years. Theirs are full ...

The Bradford pear tree in our front yard has not been looking good this year. Some sections of the tree appear to have died, and the bark is coming off of large sections of the trunk. It also lost its ...

Q: I just removed a maple tree that had a bleeding canker. It has been slowly dying for the last few years. My question is before planting another tree in that area, do I need to treat the soil and if ...