When builders and designers talk about load, it’s usually in terms of pounds and how it can be borne. Rarely will a phone call change the math.

A local extension specialist and the project arborist agree, a fungus -- venturia saliciperda -- behind some leaf and shoot loss represents no long-term threat to our host tree.

But that’s just what happened Thursday, when a phone call from the local Cooperative Extension office reached the job site and took a big load off our minds.

After some examination and lab testing, the culprit causing the browning willow leaves and blackened shoot tips turned out to be a fungus – venturia saliciperda. Our guest can be an aesthetic annoyance for sure, but offers no threat to tree structure or long-term health. Turns out the extension has been watching a few related funguses this year, some of which affect fruit crops. This spring’s mild temperatures and damp weather were perfect for getting the spores aloft at just the right time, so a number of area tree species are showing some mild ill effects. It’s an atypical outbreak, the extension specialist said, and dry weather next year could put the fungus back in its usual under-the-radar place.
There are some ways we can help, and we’ll be working with ISA certified project arborist Mark Scibilia-Carver to put together a strategy for maximum tree health. Steps will include a thorough raking of the area this fall to remove infected leaves, a careful pruning of any dead or dying branches to reduce exposure for the tree next spring, and possibly special feeding for the tree to promote strong growth next season.
As for now, construction continues, and we all feel a little lighter today.