Hello everyone! We have a very old, very large (really large) Elm tree on the North side of our property. At the top of the trunk, where the limbs begin to branch out, there is a liquid coming down the side of the trunk. During the winter, it did not look necessarily wet; however, since Spring has "sprung," a steady stream has appeared. We can only surmise that this is sap coming out of the tree. What can we do to stop this weeping and save this tree? It is really huge and provides lots of shade.

Bleeding like that is very common in elms, especially American elms. It can be a sign of borers or just a stress in the tree that is causing the pressure to push the sap out. The answer in either case is the Sick Tree Treatment. The process always relieves stress, makes the trees feel better and reduces if not eliminates symptoms. Exposing the root flare is the first and most important step. If the flare is already fully exposed, skip to aeration which is the second step. If borers holes are present, inject full strength or mildly diluted orange oil in the holes and fill the holes with putty or Tree Trunk Goop.