Tree Wound Responses Following Systemic Insecticide Trunk Injection Treatments in Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) as Determined by Destructive Autopsy

Abstract

Trunk injection of systemic insecticides or fungicides is an effective way to manage destructive insects or diseases of trees, but many arborists are still reluctant to inject trees because of the potential for infection by pathogens, structural damage, or adverse effects on tree health. The authors of the following study examined wound responses of green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) for two years following trunk injection, by sectioning tree trunks to look for evidence of infection associated with injection sites, and by collecting data on annual radial growth and rate of closure around injection sites. All healthy trees successfully compartmentalized injection wounds without any signs of infection, decay, or structural damage. Wound closure was positively correlated with the tree health as measured by annual radial growth.