Trees change as they mature. New flowers, fruits, or shades of foliage come as the seasons change. You might also see some things you didn’t expect: bumps and bulges. Why are these bulges forming? Should you be concerned? Read on to find out more about what these bumps and lumps mean and what you should do if you spot them on your trees.
Lumps and Bumps
Whenever bumps form on the branches or trunk of your tree, these growths are called burls. The cause of burls is hard to pinpoint entirely, but they most often form because your tree is under invasion or being affected by some external stressing factor. Fungi, bacteria, and insects can infest your tree. Stressors that cause your tree to form burls include freeze damage or some other type of environmental trauma. Not all trees are genetically inclined to develop burls. Therefore, if one tree has them, the surrounding trees may appear unscathed while being under the same attack. Don’t panic, the trained Johnson City arborists at Promier Tree have solutions for you.
Concern or Ignore
While burls appear concerning, they aren’t a problem. Although they might look unsightly, we recommend you not remove the burls. However, if the burls sprout anything, you may clip that away. Promier Tree, Kingsport’s professional tree service, doesn’t want you to just ignore burls on your tree, though. Instead, finding out why they’re growing should be a priority. Then you’ll need to address the cause, whether it’s invaders or stressors. Our ISA-certified arborists in Kingsport can assess unusual nodules forming on your trees.
Conducting an Investigation
If you’re noticing burls developing on one or more of your trees, there may be a couple of quick ways to decipher the cause of those lumps. It should be easy to check for insects or fungi damage.
The types of damage you should be looking for are:
- Small holes
- Sawdust
- Bugs crawling in the area near the tree
- Cavities
- Missing bark
- Root damage
- Wounds
Inspection is Imperative
It may not seem compulsory to inspect your tree with burls. When a disease- or insect-infested tree costs you money and time, it will seem much more important. Inspecting a tree can be difficult if you don’t know all the ins and outs of tree health, which also is influenced by the type of tree you have. Rest assured that if the cause of the burls isn’t discovered, it will cost you in the long run. A sick tree can lose limbs, die, attract insects that make other plants ill, spread disease, or even collapse. A tree that is dead or unable to be restored must be removed. Otherwise, it could cause personal injury or property damage. Not to mention, many homeowners have sentimental attachments to their trees. To avoid the loss of a tree and the expenses, you’ll need to decipher the cause of your tree’s illness.
Tree Care in Kingsport
At Promier Tree, our staff includes professionally trained arborists who perform health evaluations on trees and shrubs of all varieties. Our team can recommend maintenance treatments to guarantee a long, healthy life for your trees. When it comes to burls, Promier Tree can diagnose tree diseases and pest infestations that may compromise your tree’s health. From there, we can help you decide how to properly treat the tree or remove it if it’s necessary. Contact Promier Tree today at (423) 765-2626 to schedule an appointment with one of our arborists for an evaluation.
Promier Tree serves the areas of Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport, TN.