Do maple trees have any diseases?
I know that oak trees have been the prime target of the gypsy moth. Our street is lined with maples put in place by the developer. A: Shade tree maples are susceptible to various leafspot diseases, most of which are primarily cosmetic and not harmful. However, the leafspot disease called anthracnose, which causes defoliation of infected foliage in addition to spotting, can be significant if it occurs in the spring shortly after new leaves emerge and the tree loses and then has to regrow at least one-third of its leaves. Your mention of gypsy moths makes me think about maple insect pests. In general, shade tree maples are not susceptible to any harmful pests. Silver maples are sometimes attractive in early to mid-spring to wooly alder aphids that produce a clear sticky excretion as they feed that drips onto things below the tree and to maple bladder gall mites that cause young leaves to form red blister galls on the foliage; those blemishes are more cosmetic than harmful. Two bothersome
