Common on stressed honey locust and on trees with mower or string-trimmer damage at the base — which is a genuinely avoidable cause. In Greenfield, greenfield was not one of the 23 communities in the Indiana DNR street tree sample, so there is no published species breakdown — the honest picture is a two-tier canopy: mature shade trees dating to the historic district's roughly 1880-1947 build-out over those streets and Riley Park, versus small suburban stock in the newer additions. Statewide, Indiana street tree populations run about 18% silver maple and 34% maple overall; Callery pear is common in 1990s-2000s plantings and as of 2026 is still legal to sell in Indiana, with the amendment that would add it to the Terrestrial Plant Rule pending since 2021 — re-check IDNR before advising a customer. A canker that has girdled more than about half the trunk circumference is structural, not cosmetic.
Greenfield's canopy and what's at risk
Greenfield was not one of the 23 communities in the Indiana DNR street tree sample, so there is no published species breakdown — the honest picture is a two-tier canopy: mature shade trees dating to the historic district's roughly 1880-1947 build-out over those streets and Riley Park, versus small suburban stock in the newer additions. Statewide, Indiana street tree populations run about 18% silver maple and 34% maple overall; Callery pear is common in 1990s-2000s plantings and as of 2026 is still legal to sell in Indiana, with the amendment that would add it to the Terrestrial Plant Rule pending since 2021 — re-check IDNR before advising a customer.
What to look for
Sunken dead patches on bark, sometimes oozing, often with cracked margins. Branches above the canker die back.
Whether the tree can be saved
A canker that has girdled more than about half the trunk circumference is structural, not cosmetic. Small branch cankers can be pruned out; trunk cankers usually can't.
Timing in Hancock County
Prune out affected branches in dry weather, well below the canker.
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