ly can damage the stem and lead to a quicker death for the tree. As an ornamental tree, zelkovas will also tend to have a smaller work area — through no fault of their own. But having sidewalks and other structures nearby can make it harder to make the right incisions on the tree’s roots. 3. SILVER MAPLE Acer saccharinum goes by many com- mon names, but one of the most famil- iar is the silver maple. True to its name, the silver maple is surely an eye-catch- er. With even the slightest breeze, the silvery undersides of the leaves shim- mer and glisten in the light. Beautiful as they are, though, these trees are of- ten plagued by decay and fungal issues. “Some species, like silver maple, are not good at managing fungi,” Buell shared. “When the pathogens infect the tree, the tree doesn’t have a lot of natural mechanisms to manage it.”
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With their softer wood structure, silver maples are easily invaded by decay fungi such as Eutypella canker. They also frequently develop foliar diseases like anthracnose, tar spot, and leaf blister.
Because of its so wood, silver ma- ples are especially vulnerable to wood-rotting fungi like Eutypella cankers ( Eutypella parasitica ). Other common fungal conditions include anthracnose, tar spots, and leaf blis- ter fungus. However, the most dev-
astating disease for silver maples is verticillium wilt which can cause sudden death for the tree. Treatment becomes an ongoing issue and options are a bit limited. Large cuts open pathways for the fungi to follow.
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