I had put in a new crabapple tree 5 years ago. It was growing along nicely and suddenly it started having a burnt look to the leaves at the top of the tree near the trunk. Having been gardening now for over 30 years, and having battled this disease before with proper pruning methods, my heart sunk as I realize my tree had fireblight. Unfortunately, the infection of the branches was already reaching the trunk so there would be no way to prune out the infection. The tree would have to come down. It wouldn't be the first time I lost a plant to a disease so I just chalked it up and figured I'd remove it in the fall, since the disease is in the dormant phase right now and can't really spread until flowering next year. Today, as I was looking out an upstairs window, I noticed my Dolgo crab apple that the last owner of the house had put in because he used the fruit to make apple wine, was also afflicted, though not as extensively as the new crabapple tree. Then a neighbor pointed out, that right across the street from me, all the pear trees, over a dozen of them, were also afflicted - extensively. I just thought it was winter damage because we had a severe cold snap coming into spring. I contacted my local cooperative extension and was told that over the last 3 years fireblight had become a severe problem in the northeast. My questions are, would it be worthwhile to call an arborist in to clean up the Dolgo crab? Or would the fact that all the trees across the street (the parking lot of a radiology center) are affected, mean it would just get re-infected next spring and be a waste of money? I am also finding fireblight on my green leaf honeysuckle shrub, a mock orange, and a hydrangea. This is strange because what I read about the disease is it is not supposed to attack certain plants.

I am heartsick over the Dolgo craba[[;e tree especially because in the winter there are so many cardinals that come to eat the fruit that the tree literally looks like it's covered in red bows. It also feeds other birds and wild life. I often see squirrels sitting on my fence eating apples from this tree. I am also 60 years old and might not even get to see the maturity of a newly planted tree. Don't want to sound maudlin but I am really bummed out over this turn of events. Any advice (and cheering up) would be appreciated.