I have 3 soft maple trees in my yard, and the tops of all 3 trees have started to die out over the past 2 or 3 years. The trees look about one third dead at this point. I noticed that 2 of the 3 trees have small 3/16" holes at the base of the trees. I suppose this would be caused by some type of insect. Do you think this could be related to the trees health ? If so what do I need to do to prevent further infestation ? Should my neighbors be concerned ? Please help ?

Greetings Steve,

The general decline of your soft maple trees may or may not be directly caused by insect activity or infestation. As I've stated many times throughout this forum, more often than not, only an on-site evaluation by a tree care specialist can provide a legitimate diagnosis for tree health concerns. Even after an on-site evaluation is conducted, further plant tissue analysis may be needed. The University of Illinois Plant Clinic may prove useful in those cases http://plantclinic.cropsci.uiuc.edu/.

Therefore, please contact the Pike County Extension office to determine whether they have anyone on staff (horticulturist or natural resources specialist) who may be able to examine the affected trees. If Pike County Extension does not have anyone on staff that can help you from that unit office, then you may have to try the UI Extension regional office out Springfield, IL.

Morever, you can always contact a local certified arborist to assist you in identifying your tree's general decline (internet or yellow pages).