Knowledgebase
Maple tree bark and Cleveland pear leaves #879535
Asked July 31, 2024, 9:36 AM EDT
Grand Traverse County Michigan
Expert Response
The sugar maple looks like it had a mulch older wound that the bark is possibly just naturally falling off. Birds and other animals can pull off pieces as well, to get at pest that crawl behind the bark. In the phot you can see how the tree has long been forming wound wood on the sides of the wound.
The pear looks like it has some type of rust. This species can commonly get a particular type of rust fungi in a group commonly referred to as cedar-apple/cedar-hawthorn/cedar-quince rusts.
Pear Rust | Oklahoma State University (okstate.edu)
This infection at this point in the season might lead to some defoliation or none at all. Getting a specific diagnosis of which rust (one in this group or another kind) will help determine the best management decision. This could involve fungicide treatments next spring or possible removal of an alternate host of this disease in your yard.
Another reason to get a diagnosis from a lab is that some rusts look different at different stages. Be sure to send in a sample of the fruits as well.
Here is link to MSU's plant diagnostic lab with information about sending in a sample.
Plant & Pest Diagnostics (msu.edu)