Mary Jo DiLonardo has worked in print, online, and broadcast journalism for 25 years and covers nature, health, science, and animals. Young trees sometimes have smooth bark that's unbroken by ridges.

Borers have been attacking my two birch trees this year. Our arborist says this problem is pretty wide spread in the Portland/Vancouver areas this year. How can I control this pest? Attacks of the ...

The bark of a tree is its own protection against the weather. While we shrug on a coat when it’s wet or cold, a tree will grow its own to insulate itself, keeping moisture out when it’s raining and in ...

Do you know how to tell the difference between a birch and a cherry tree? You might be barking up the wrong tree if you don’t know about lenticels. I have been ...