Nathan Corliss

Editorial Director · Beat: Editorial Standards & Review

Editorial Director · oversees sourcing, fact-checking, and local review for all coverage

Nathan Corliss is the Editorial Director of Rochester Tree & Shrub Care. He oversees the publication’s editorial standards, fact-checking, and sourcing policy, and reviews the site’s tree and shrub health coverage for local accuracy across the Rochester, New York region. He works with the publication’s horticulture, arboriculture, and plant-pathology editors to ensure every article reflects current guidance from authorities like Cornell Cooperative Extension, the NYS DEC, the USDA Forest Service, and the ISA before it is published.

Writes for Rochester Tree & Shrub Care, an independent editorial publication on tree and shrub health in the Rochester, New York area.

Coverage reviewed by Nathan: 12

Boxwood Blight in Rochester: Signs, Spread, and What to Do
Pests & Diseases·7 min read

Boxwood Blight in Rochester: Signs, Spread, and What to Do

Boxwood dropping leaves with black stem streaks may be blight, a fungal disease with no cure. Learn the signs, spread, and how to protect healthy plants.

July 9, 2026

Bronze Birch Borer: Why Rochester Birches Die From the Top Down
Pests & Diseases·9 min read

Bronze Birch Borer: Why Rochester Birches Die From the Top Down

Bronze birch borer kills Rochester birches from the top down, striking drought-stressed white birches. Learn the signs and whether yours can be saved.

July 9, 2026

Dutch Elm Disease in New York: Is It Still a Threat?
Pests & Diseases·8 min read

Dutch Elm Disease in New York: Is It Still a Threat?

Dutch elm disease spreads across New York by beetles and root grafts. Learn the first signs, whether a Rochester elm can be saved, and resistant cultivars.

July 9, 2026

Leaf Galls on Maple and Oak: Those Bumps, Explained
Pests & Diseases·9 min read

Leaf Galls on Maple and Oak: Those Bumps, Explained

Red pimples and fuzzy bumps on Rochester maple and oak leaves are almost always harmless galls from mites or tiny wasps. Here is when one actually matters.

July 9, 2026

Your Tree Was Struck by Lightning. Can It Be Saved?
Tree Health·8 min read

Your Tree Was Struck by Lightning. Can It Be Saved?

A lightning-struck tree can range from a survivable bark scar to invisible trunk and root damage. Here is how Rochester homeowners judge survival and safety.

July 9, 2026

Powdery Mildew on Trees and Shrubs: The White Coating Explained
Pests & Diseases·8 min read

Powdery Mildew on Trees and Shrubs: The White Coating Explained

A white powdery coating on tree and shrub leaves is powdery mildew. Learn why it is usually cosmetic in Rochester, NY, and how airflow beats spraying.

July 9, 2026

Neat Rows of Holes in Your Tree? That's a Sapsucker
Tree Health·8 min read

Neat Rows of Holes in Your Tree? That's a Sapsucker

Neat rows of holes in Rochester tree bark are a yellow-bellied sapsucker, not a borer. How to tell the difference, the real risk, and how to protect a tree.

July 9, 2026

Slime Flux (Wetwood): Why Your Tree Trunk Is Oozing
Pests & Diseases·9 min read

Slime Flux (Wetwood): Why Your Tree Trunk Is Oozing

Dark, sour-smelling ooze on your tree trunk is slime flux, a sign of bacterial wetwood. Learn why not to drill it and when a Rochester arborist should look.

July 9, 2026

Spruce Spider Mites: Why Your Evergreen Looks Dusty and Bronzed
Pests & Diseases·8 min read

Spruce Spider Mites: Why Your Evergreen Looks Dusty and Bronzed

Bronzed, dusty-looking spruce, arborvitae, or juniper needles in Rochester often mean spruce spider mites. Learn the paper tap test and how to time control.

July 9, 2026

Two-Lined Chestnut Borer: The Beetle That Finishes Off Stressed Oaks
Pests & Diseases·8 min read

Two-Lined Chestnut Borer: The Beetle That Finishes Off Stressed Oaks

Two-lined chestnut borer kills Rochester oaks already weakened by drought or root stress, working top-down. Learn the signs, recovery odds, and when to act.

July 9, 2026

Anthracnose on Rochester Shade Trees: Why Sycamore, Oak, and Ash Leaves Look Scorched in Spring
Pests & Diseases·7 min read

Anthracnose on Rochester Shade Trees: Why Sycamore, Oak, and Ash Leaves Look Scorched in Spring

Cool wet Finger Lakes springs trigger anthracnose on Rochester sycamore, oak, and ash. Learn the scorched-leaf signs and how to tell it from frost.

June 25, 2026

Aphids, Honeydew, and Sooty Mold: Why Your Rochester Tree Drips Sticky Sap and Turns Black
Pests & Diseases·7 min read

Aphids, Honeydew, and Sooty Mold: Why Your Rochester Tree Drips Sticky Sap and Turns Black

Sticky sap on your car and black film on Rochester tree leaves? Learn the aphid-honeydew-sooty-mold chain and why systemic soil treatment beats washing.

June 25, 2026