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Gallatin County

Growing Awareness about Agriculture and Horticulture

Published: 2020
By Joshua Bilbao and Molly Yurdana
Gallatin County MSU Extension Agricultural programs had a noticeable increase in horticulture questions regarding plant, weed and pest identification in spring and summer of 2020. One frequent concern from Gallatin Valley homeowners was the lack of greenery, leafing out and growth in Green Ash trees. Agriculture Agent Josh Bilbao and Gallatin County MSU Extension Summer Intern, Molly Yurdana, went out into the community to investigate. Trees presented with symptoms of frost and freeze damage, a result from a severe and early snowstorm in October 2019. That sudden temperature drop occurred before the trees had reached dormancy, thus interrupting their growth cycle and affecting growth the following spring. Trees had abnormally large leaves, greenery was lopsided to one portion or half of the tree, suckers were emerging from the soil line or mid-trunk or appeared to have no growth. Bilbao and Yurdana hosted a “What’s Wrong with my Trees” educational talk via WebEx and in-person at the Extension office. They presented their observations and research, and provided recommendations on how homeowners should proceed to care for the damaged trees.
What's Wrong With My Trees?