Douglas Fir - Weeping Sap

[RainbowGypsy]

We recently bought a home with .4 of acre with some wonderful trees that certainly haven't been well cared for. We have three beautiful douglas fir trees and just noticed today that one of them is weeping sap from about 15 feet up. I know some of the trees have old spots where they have weeped in the past due to branches that were cut. This is new sap running down the tree. Is this healthy or a sign that something is wrong?

 

[Ekka]

OK

It's a good sign in one way that the tree is weeping sap (resin). This means the tree has reserves to combat a problem.

The bad news is that there must be a problem, you need to inspect the area, there must be a hole through the bark to the cambium for sap to come out.

It could be a beetle that may have laid eggs and now the larvae (borers) are having a feed. The tree tries to flood them out with resin.

Inspect the area carefully, look for sawdust, frass (which is a gooey messy thing exuded by bugs). If it is bugs there are numerous ways of treating best left to a pro.

Here's a link that should help you.

http://www.woodlot.bc.ca/swp/myw/html/17_Protection.htm

 

[RainbowGypsy]

Thanks so much... The tree originally had Ivy wrapped around it, we removed that a couple of months ago as high up as we could reach with a ladder. The majority of the Ivy is gone. Could that also cause the tree harm?

RG

 

[Ekka]

Well, depending on thickness etc it may but most unlikely.

It tends to make a good place for bugs to hide and may create a ring barking effect but that depends on the ferocity of the ivy ... so best gone.

Just have a close look around where the sap is weeping from.

Vines in the canopy of a tree are bad news to, so hopefully it dies off and falls off if it was there.

Keep us posted.