Why Is My Tree Sick?

If you live where it's freezing, this is a time of year when illness is all around you. So-and-so at work has come down with a cold, and the news sends you scurrying for vitamin C. Or perhaps you try to ward off colds with Echinacea, a substance derived from coneflowers? Ever tasted the extract? Truly nasty stuff.

Cold and flu season has me thinking about another kind of illness: what happens when trees get sick. At least we figure to get over a cold eventually, although it means enduring a runny nose for a while. But our trees sometimes fail to survive their illnesses. Nor do we usually "take them to the doctor" for lab tests, to find out what's really ailing them.

Instead, we report the symptoms to experts, hoping they'll hit upon the right diagnosis. You can catch a glimpse of the process in this tree care FAQ.

Tell us your strategy: How Do You Beat the Winter Blues?

_{Photo ©2009 David Beaulieu (licensed to About, Inc.)}