What is Killing Spruce Trees in Wisconsin?

Posted: 2022 | Plant Health Care | Tree and Shrub Care | Winter

If you are traveling in the Northwoods, you have probably come across black and white Wisconsin spruce trees. The needles and cones of a spruce tree are recognizable features when out exploring your local forest or even in your own backyard. Black spruce trees, also known as Picea mariana, and white spruce trees, also known as Picea glauca, have been through tough times over the years as there has been an extensive investigation into what is killing spruce trees in Wisconsin.

Signs of Stress on Wisconsin Spruce Trees

There was a recent study done on white spruce trees across the Great Lakes region. This study showed insight into what is killing spruce trees in Wisconsin, by identifying a few signs of stress:

Reduced primary productivity
Needle loss
Bark beetle infestations
Root rot

The signs of stress can be quite noticeable when inspecting varying areas of stress on the spruce trees. This study surveyed 44 white spruce trees with tree-level information, tree core samples, and samples of insects and diseases.

Keeping Wisconsin Spruce Trees Healthy

There are several ways you can help keep Wisconsin black and white spruce trees alive and healthy.

Hire a Professional Arborist

The first way to protect your Wisconsin spruce trees is by hiring a Certified Arborist to figure out what is wrong with your spruce tree. The certified experts will be able to identify the proper issue. This is crucial when it comes to remediation solutions to help control the issue. Reach out to our team of professional arborists to help any concerns regarding your Wisconsin spruce tree or any other tree.

Diversify and Plant a Mix of Trees

Simply planting a mix of trees to diversify our yards or cities can help keep new diseases and pests from wiping out all the same kinds of trees in a neighborhood. This advice has been given to others in the past, but not everyone has put this into practice.

Wisconsin spruce trees are beautiful trees, and like any living tree, they benefit from care and treatment to stay strong and healthy. You can explore Wisconsin tree disease treatment for further information on how Wachtel Tree Science helps you care and treat your trees.