Stressed trees on city sidewalk in front of our home

Question: We have a Linden (American Basswood) tree that appears to be distressed (withered, droopy leaves with some brown; do not see evidence of galls/insect damage or fungal disease).  We originally thought it was in need of water (and have dripped water at base) but now see adjacent Ginko tress also showing significant signs of distress (withered brown and yellow leaves) with one of the Ginkos looking dead.

responder: Greg C. OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer  Replied July 06, 2023, 3:28 PM EDT
response: Sent from the all new AOL app for iOSOn Thursday, July 6, 2023, 1:47 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:Hi Greg, Question #0109224 has been assigned to you by SYSTEM (Auto Assignment) Stressed trees on city sidewalk in front of our home We have a Linden (American Basswood) tree that appears to be distressed (withered, droopy leaves with some brown; do not see evidence of galls/insect damage or fungal disease). We originally thought it was in need of water (and have dripped water at base) but now see adjacent Ginko tress also showing significant signs of distress (withered brown and yellow leaves) with one of the Ginkos looking dead. From: Mitchell MageeSubmitted: 07/06/2023 1:47 PM To view/respond to the question, please login. Please join the Ask Extension Experts group in Connect Extension. We will use that group to post updates about Ask Extension.This message was sent by Ask Extension. If you need help, please visit https://askhelp.extension.org/.

responder: Greg C. OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer  Replied July 06, 2023, 5:57 PM EDT
response: Hi Mitchell,  Thank you for the pictures.  They show evidence of anthracnose, a fungal disease to which both ginkgo and basswood are susceptible.  Infection was likely during our extended cool and wet spring.  At this point with summer heat, not much can be done except good sanitation, i.e., pruning out dead twigs and branches and raking fallen leaves, and disposing both instead of composting, and then disposing the twigs and leaves in the trash.  Early fungicide spraying could have been done--fungicides do not kill ongoing infections, the deter and slow the spread of infections.  Generally, anthracnose is considered more cosmetic and aesthetic than harmful long-term to the trees.  If you ever opt to spray, please be sure to follow appropriate fungicide label instructions to select the fungicide and for application.  The linked PennState Extension provides an overview on anthracnose:  https://extension.psu.edu/anthracnose-on-shade-trees.  Thank you for your question.

responder: The Question Asker Replied July 11, 2023, 7:11 PM EDT
response: Thank you for the response!  As these trees are on city sidewalk, leaves are collected (and probably composted) by the city.  We do trim and rake leaves though.  We will continue to monitor especially in spring. We have a large number of other trees (Elm, Maple, Boxwood, Mulberry) on our property and do collect and compost those leaves.  This gives me some pause for concern as to whether that is such a good practice esp. with nearby fungus?  We have hired firms (e.g. Davey Tree) to trim but frankly they leave behind a lot of dead in the tree (in their defense, the time to remove all might be prohibitively expensive?).  Again, thank you for response and for helping to improve Ohio's treescape!

responder: Greg C. OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer  Replied July 12, 2023, 3:53 PM EDT
response: Hi again Mitchell,  To the extent that the trees may be on city property and part of a roadside tree program, you may try to check with the city arborist for examination.  In addition, with your statement that you are concerned about a large number of trees, it may be worthwhile to consult an certified arborist.  See the linked OSU factsheet:  https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1032.  It has a link for the ISA-certified arborist finder:  treesaregood.org.  I hope this helps.