#Fire blight on bradford pear trees plus#

What you describe as fungal growth on the bark is actually lichen, which is not harmful to the tree. You will need to examine the affected limbs closely to see if either of these two are the cause of your problem.

The brittle branches of Bradford pear are prone to wind damage which would cause clusters of dead branches which can be pruned out. The key diagnostic feature is a black burned appearance, sometimes with a ooze. See the following link for disease description. If you're interested, our relatively new Planting Trees In Our Changing Climate web page provides information about choosing tree species well-suited to the current and projected future site conditions.Bradford pear can have limb dieback due to the bacterial disease fire blight. A mix of species can also provide more seasonal interest in the form of blooms during different seasons or a range of fall foliage colors. If the HOA desires the streets to have a symmetrical or uniform aesthetic, then a tree species mix layout can be planned such that repeating patterns of trees will convey intent and symmetry to the row as a whole if a randomized medley is perceived as too eclectic. (Horticulturally speaking, 'salts' don't necessarily have to derive from sodium, but include a range of minerals found in ice-melting products and fertilizers.) Maples, for example, do not have a high soil salt tolerance despite being widely used along streets. Some trees in a species mix will also be more tolerant of common suburban stresses like drought, compacted and/or wet soils, and high soil salt levels. While still unfortunately in widespread use in neighborhoods around Maryland, they are best replaced not only for ecological reasons but also because they can be weak-wooded and prone to storm breakage as they age.Ī mix of native species is recommended over just using one species for the entire tree row since a mix not only can support more wildlife but also will be less equally vulnerable to a single issue if a future pest or disease outbreak occurs. Bradford and similar varieties of ornamental pear (collectively, Callery Pears) are non-native but also highly invasive, and even though some cultivars were thought to be sterile, they are still contributing to the problem of this tree's spread in our natural areas. Ideally, though, we'd encourage the HOA to seriously consider replacement of the pears with another species (and preferably, a mix of species). Not all tree-care company employees are arborists, though they should at least be a licensed tree expert in the state. This should be done by a certified arborist (or someone under their supervision) so the cuts are made properly, both in terms of wound closure but also to remove as much infected asymptomatic wood as possible.

#Fire blight on bradford pear trees plus#

Spraying them with a preventative fungicide/antibiotic is not practical nor likely to rid the collection of trees of Fire Blight entirely anyway, and pesticides targeting pathogens can still potentially have negative impacts on pollinators and other organisms, even though they are not insecticides.Īt the very least, the dying branches should be pruned off they will not recover and they'd only dry out and crack/fall off eventually anyway, plus it would lessen the eyesore and reduce how many bacterial spores they're going to harbor for future infections. Pear trees, both crop-producing and decorative species like Bradford types, are common victims of infection by this pathogen. You can compare what you're seeing with the information on the linked page. We agree this does sound like classic Fire Blight symptoms, though it's hard to tell if there's another likely cause without photos.