Question
Our chinese pistache is about 5 years old and suddenly the bark is falling off the trunk and I notice large (half-dollar size) white spots on many of the limbs.  We are in Texas, suffering over 23 days of 100 degrees or more and oh, I hate to lose this tree!  There is no mulch next to the trunk and the leaves look fine.  What is going on?  Margie

Answer
Margie:
The bark on pistache does become "flaky" as the tree ages. This might be interpreted as falling off.  If the tree looks good, may not be a cause for alarm.  If there are deep splits that are obvious, this may be another issue.

I am not sure about the white spots w/o seeing them.  Can you send along a photo? Just reference our email if you decide to send along an image.  These spots may be a type of lichens that can be common.  Be sure to give your tree a periodic drink of water during those hot/windy days of summer.

Regards
Steve