Question
We live in the Knoxville, TN area. We have a tulip tree that is approximately 10 years old. The trunk is approximately 8 inches in diameter at the soil line. It is planted in an area where it gets indirect sun all day, with direct sunlight 6 hours a day. It has had mild leaf problems in the past with leaves that turn yellow and fall off prematurely. Today my husband was outside and noticed at the soil line that the trunk looked broken and flaky. Upon investigating he dug some leaves and loose dirt away from the base of the tree and he could see that the bark would easily flake off and underneath the wood was powdery, there were also an abundance of small slugs in the area. Further inspection of the tree revealed small holes, about 1/4 in in diameter and also in depth. These small holes were bored in perfect rings around the trunk and around limbs. We did not see any type of insect around these holes. We hate to loose this tree and even with the leaf problems it has always grown several feet a year. We do use tree fertilizer on it twice a year. Do you have any idea what might be wrong with this tree. This is the only tulip tree on our property  so there is not another tree to compare it too, although we did loose two large oak trees (30-40yrs/old)that were growing in another area, but the symptoms on those trees were different except for the holes bored into them, which we attributed to woodpeckers and insects attacking the parts of the tree that had died. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Please let me know if there is any other information that you need. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Sherry:
The tulip tree is my all time favorite! Sounds like you have two separate issues. The small holes that occur in rings and are usually even spaced and even organized into some pattern is probably a sapsucker (a type of woodpecker). Maybe the yellow bellied sapsucker.  Take a look at sapsucker damage using Google "images"on your computer to see if this is what you have. These birds often drink the sap or maybe even look for bugs beneath the bark.  Their damage doesn't usually have a significant impact on the overall health of the tree. I think these birds may be even protected by law. Best to check with your local Game and Fish Commission on that question. You might find some "frightening" devices or other options for you to use.

Issue number two- loose bark at the base of the tree. If the bark comes off easily, this may indicate some level of internal decay, that may ultimately cause the tree to fail- like in a wind or ice storm. The decay will weaken the tree structurally over time. This process may take years. This area may have been wounded a long time ago and diseases and/or insect may have gotten inside. Good fertilization (based on a soil test) and watering during the dry hot summer can help the tree a lot. It would be best to have someone take a look at the tree first hand. Contact your local county Extension office and talk to someone in that office about making a house call. Often this is a free service.  In Knox county, the number is 865-215-2340. The office is in the City-County building in Knoxville (400 W. Main Ave. Suite 560- near the waterfront.

Sherry, you can also check the yellow pages for a certified arborist to come out.  There may be a charge for this call.

Hope this helps!
Enjoy
Steve
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