Q. (My) birch tree, planted many years ago, has never really grown full. In the spring, it will get tiny green leaves but (it’s) still very airy and not full foliage. We’ve been told not to prune it.

The birch trees in this photo appear to have been infested with bronze birch borer, as indicated by the dead upper branches where larvae have disrupted the flow of water and nutrients.

Editor's note: Once a month, the OSU Extension master gardener's office of Franklin County profiles a plant that occurs naturally in central Ohio. As the growing season fades, we bid adieu to many of ...

Ray Gulliksen sees the dead branches topping his birch trees as a signature of the drought. The trees in his Fair Oaks front lawn are “showing quite a bit of stress,” he said. The stress comes from ...