Contact your local office of the University of Connecticut USDA Cooperative Extension Service and have the horticulturist come out and look. While I've not heard the Emerald Ash Borer is in Connecticut that does not mean they aren't. These wee larva are devastating Ash trees in many areas of the country and are spreading out. Here is a link that might be useful: Emerald Ash Borer

I think that any loquat would have a very difficult time of thriving in the Atlanta area. They are considered a semi-tropical plant, better suited to locations with much milder winter temperatures.

You have quite the colorful garden growing on your apple tree! The bright green in the second picture and probably the dark green with little russet fruiting bodies in the first appear to be moss. The rest--pale green, dull light green, yellow-green, orange-gold, as well as the dusty white splotches, appear to be a variety of lichens. Lichens are associations of two or three distinct organisms (fungus, algae, and sometimes cyanobacteria) living in varying degrees of cooperation. They come in many sizes, shapes and colors. In general neither lichens nor mosses are thought to threaten the health of trees on which they live. I also live in northern California, at about 1500 feet in the Sierra foothills. Our area is sprinkled with black oak and several varieties of scrub and live oak. When cold weather comes and humidity rises, mosses and lichens suddenly become visible on all these trees. The more moisture we get, the more noticeable (and colorful!) the lichens become. Toward the end of a really wet season, the things are literally hanging off of the branches, like Spanish moss in the South. The one I marvel at most has long curly tendrils of bright glowing chartreuse. When the season changes again and things begin to dry, so do the lichens. Their seasonal extensions break, blow off, or dry up, and all but disappear--until the next rainy season. The oak trees never seem to mind. It's dark out right now, so I don't know whether or not we have lichens on our apple tree, but I wouldn't be surprised or worried if I saw them there. Scraping them off could very well injure a tree, allowing entry to a number of truly harmful organisms. The URL below may help allay your concerns. If you are still worried, you could call your local agricultural extension and make an inquiry. Sweetcicely Here is a link that might be useful: Lichen information

Apparently planting apples too near a serviceberry is a bad idea. The serviceberry is a host for the borer it seems! Wish I had known! We have 2 serviceberries within 60 feet of our affected apple tree...