We continue to be in one of the worst droughts on record. Many people are wondering how to tell if their trees are dead or merely dormant. To help with that, categorizing trees into three groups, definitely dead, likely to live, and questionable, makes deciding what to do with each tree easier.
Dead trees show various signs. A conifer, or tree with needles, that has all or most of its; needles turn red is dead. It is likely infested with bark beetles and other boring insects. Cutting this tree before it falls, or the insects infest other trees, is important. Just as important is the proper disposal of the infested wood. It should be burned as soon as it is cut to kill the insects inside and prevent them from moving to other trees.
Deciduous trees, or trees with leaves, can be harder to identify as dead. If the tree is losing large branches, that is a sign it is dead. The exception is pecans, which self prune and may drop branches even though they are alive. If your tree loses large areas of bark, it is dead. If large numbers of insects are boring into it, the tree is probably dead. Cut it before it falls on something or someone. Again, burn any infested wood to prevent the spread of the insects to other trees in the area.
Evergreens that are still green are likely to live. So are deciduous trees that leaf out normally. If you can scratch a small area of bark off and find moist, green tissue, the tree is still alive and likely to live. As long as you continue to water one inch a week, these trees will probably be okay
That brings us to the questionable trees. A pine tree that has red needles at the top and green lower down is still alive, but is probably on its way out. Check for tubes of resin on the trunk and holes in the bark. If you find these, the tree probably has pine bark beetles that are slowly girdling it. Cutting such a tree down is probably wise. Burn the wood to prevent the insects from moving to another tree in your yard.
Deciduous trees with one or more dead or dying limbs may or may not recover. These trees can benefit from having the dead limbs removed and from supplemental watering. However, they may be unable to survive and will slowly die. Insect infestations are a sign that even if the tree is still producing leaves and is not totally dead, it is on its way out.
The best way to help your trees survive this historic drought is to water them. Even native trees that are adapted to our rainfall are suffering. Setting up your sprinkler system to deliver one inch of water to the entire drip line of the tree once a week will give them enough extra water to pull through the drought if they are not too stressed. Treating insect infestations even when they are slight will also help the stressed tress survive.
