Editors note: Throughout the growing season, Mike Hogan, OSU Extension Educator for Agriculture & Natural Resources in Franklin County, will answer gardening questions submitted by Dispatch readers.

The lichen themselves will not cause decline, but they may be a good indicator of the overall health of your tree. An abundance lichen presence concentrated on damaged or dead wood, as your sample ...

My tree has lost all its leaves and the bark now has some fungi growing on it? Is lichen killing my tree? Lichen (pronounced lie-ken) gets a bad rap based on its appearance alone. It has been on our ...

An oak tree in my yard has a large growth on it. It doesn’t seem to be hurting the tree, but should I be concerned? — B.I. It sounds like you are describing what is known as a burl. Burls are round or ...