Isn't the bug enough? Ash rust on the move in Nebraska

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald
Published Monday June 22, 2009
Rust on leaves won’t kill ash trees
BY MAUREEN H. TOBIN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Orange and yellow “measles” cover the leaves of Pat Richardson’s backyard ash tree in southwest Omaha.
Fearful for the health of her tree, she went looking for answers.
She’s not alone.
“We’ve had hundreds of people coming in this year, wondering what’s wrong with their ash trees,” said Mary Anna Anderson of the University of Nebraska Extension in Douglas and Sarpy Counties.
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Those bumpy orange spots are caused by ash rust, a windborne fungus.
Diseased leaves will drop this summer, but people shouldn’t be alarmed, Anderson said. The tree should releaf, and its overall health shouldn’t be affected.