Growing up in Ohio, I never remember my parents having to remove trees. Here in Kansas City, with the thick clay soil and crazy hot summers, the trees seem to be in a constant battle with nature. We have lost four completely mature trees over the last few years to a variety of issues from insect boring to sudden oak death…it’s been a roller coaster of emotions. This past year, I really did a tremendous amount of research after we lost a 200+ year old red oak tree from the middle of our back yard. After doing this research, I learned there were clear and present signs of damage that I unknowingly passed by. First, tip die back. If you notice that your tree is leafing out and you do not have leaves on the tips…bad sign. Also, if you are losing leaves too early in the season…another bad sign. If you have holes in your tree either rounded or shaped like a D…super bad sign. I found a product called Compare-N-Save which I very highly recommend. I noticed a difference in damaged trees in just one season when applied in April. It’s a systemic pesticide that after application to the base of the tree, uptakes through the root zone to the top of the tree. When insects and larva eat the leaves or the inside of the tree tissue, they will die. *Note to self, this should not be applied on flowering trees. The uptake of the pesticide to the flowers of the tree will kill bees and other beneficial insects.