Tree Care Tips from Arbor Masters

Arbor Masters is with you even after we’ve left your property. Get expert tree care tips from our blog to keep up your trees' beauty and value.

Looking up the trunk and broad canopy of a large, mature bur oak with deeply furrowed bark against a bright sky.
How to Care for a Mature Bur Oak in Eastern Iowa
Did your bur oak survive the 2020 derecho? Learn how to identify hidden storm damage, prevent decline, and care for mature bur oaks in Eastern Iowa.
A mature maple tree stands in a residential yard during summer, with a house visible in the background.
Why Is One Side of My Maple Tree Dying?
Verticillium wilt is a common cause of one-sided dieback in maples and redbuds. Learn the symptoms, treatment options, and when removal is necessary.
Lakefront estate framed by mature trees, with the home and dock mirrored in calm water.
Should You Remove a Tree Near Your Dock?
Worried about a tree near your dock, deck, or seawall? See what a Certified Arborist evaluates—and the preservation options before removal is ever considered.
Pin oak with pale yellow, iron-chlorotic leaves beside a healthy deep-green maple in a western Des Moines front yard.
Why Are My Pin Oak Leaves Turning Yellow in Des Moines?
Learn how to identify a pin oak, recognize the signs of iron chlorosis, and explore treatment options for trees growing in Des Moines-area alkaline soils.
Large tree with a permanent windswept lean across an open Kansas park, branches shaped by years of strong prairie winds
Wichita’s Heat and Wind: How to Protect Your Trees This Summer
Why do Wichita trees struggle with heat and wind stress? Learn which species thrive, how to prevent damage, and what to do if your tree is already stressed.
Close-up of a tree branch with leaves curling and turning brown along the edges, showing classic signs of heat and water stress
Why Do My Trees Look Stressed Even Though I Water Them?
Watering more isn't always the answer. Discover why trees struggle in Tulsa's clay soils and how to keep roots healthy through the summer heat.
Large tree trunk resting on a home's roof after a summer storm, causing significant structural damage to the roofline and exterior.
What Should You Do if a Tree Falls on Your Property?
A fallen tree can create safety hazards and costly damage. Learn the steps to protect your home, navigate insurance, document the damage, and begin recovery.
Close-up of an American elm leaf with brown, scorched margins and a yellow halo separating the dead edge from the green center, a classic sign of bacterial leaf scorch.
Is Bacterial Leaf Scorch Killing Your Quad Cities Oak or Elm Tree?
Bacterial leaf scorch is manageable, not curable. Learn how Quad Cities homeowners identify it, confirm it, and extend a tree's life with expert PHC care.
Close-up of an adult emerald ash borer beetle resting on a green leaf stem.
Why Wood-Boring Beetles Are Attacking Your Oklahoma City Trees
Drought, storm damage, and other stress can attract wood-boring beetles. Learn how to spot an infestation early and protect your trees before irreversible damage occurs.
Arborist installing a steel support cable and hardware in the canopy of a mature tree to reinforce a structurally weak branch union.
Cabling and Bracing Mature Trees in Fort Worth: When Structural Support Saves a Tree (and When It Can’t)
Not every damaged tree needs to come down. Learn how cabling and bracing work, which trees are good candidates, and when removal is unavoidable.
Silver maple leaves with deeply cut lobes and pale silvery undersides on a branch in a summer backyard.
Are Your Silver Maples Becoming a Liability in Gladstone?
Gladstone's mature silver maples hide brittle wood, weak stem unions, and invasive roots. See the warning signs and what a tree risk assessment reveals.
Cluster of pink-red crabapple fruits hanging from a branch with green and yellowing leaves on a Marion, Iowa, crabapple tree.
How to Identify and Stop Apple Scab on Crabapples
Seeing olive-green spots and falling leaves on your crabapple? It's likely apple scab. Here's what those spots mean and how to stop them next year.