Newly planted Hinoki on standard has insect holes in trunk
Posted Jun 10, 2022, 5:27 PM UTC
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Some of those holes look like they have frass in them, contact your local County Extension service or look on their website to see if they have information about regional pests of this plant. The website will have a contact form as well.
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I planted this Hinoki on standard in early May here in Rochester, NY. I just noticed today that there are a number of small holes in the trunk that are probably from insects, along with a fissure in the trunk. I don't think they were there when I planted the tree.
The foliage doesn't appear to be showing any kind of stress, but I'd like to make sure the tree stays healthy. What, if anything, should I do?
Edit: just tried to check the depth and I was able to stick a small plastic twist tie and was able to go almost an inch deep on most of them.
Those appear to be exit holes from beetles in the family Buprestidae (a.k.a. flatheaded borers or metallic wood-boring beetles). There's a good chance that it was already infested when planted, because the beetles have already had time to complete larval development, pupate, and emerge from the tree. For most species of that size range, the process takes more than a month. That area of loose bark where the emergence holes are is basically dead tissue now - you can probably pull it aside without too much trouble, and you'll see the frass-packed tunnels beneath the bark.
Some species (particularly in the genus Chrysobothris, which I often see acting as a pest in tree nurseries) will damage a portion of the stem on a living tree like this, and then after they emerge the rest of the tree may live on (depending on how extensive the damage is) - although with a scar that may take a while to seal over.
Given that you just bought the tree, you might inquire about whether it would be warrantied for replacement by the nursery or landscaper.