Top dying on an oak that the previous homeowner had cabled. Has been dropping limbs quite frequently and still has limbs hung up in the canopy.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Dying Tops
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Did they wrap the cable around the trunk and it's strangling the tree?
The leaf color looks off to me, maybe a tad chlorotic? Other than that, Idk.
That's a silver maple...not an oak
First, we need an answer to @Mad Professor 's question about whether the cable is wrapped.
Then I'd look for insect pests like Cottony maple scale or Oystershell scale.
Could be s canker disease.
Any changes to the soil around the tree within the past 10 years?
What's the back side of the trunk look like? It looks really swollen with an odd taper right about the top of that sucker coming up from the roots.
Then I'd look for insect pests like Cottony maple scale or Oystershell scale.
Could be s canker disease.
Any changes to the soil around the tree within the past 10 years?
What's the back side of the trunk look like? It looks really swollen with an odd taper right about the top of that sucker coming up from the roots.
It doesn't look like it's wrapped.
Oops. You are correct.
No changes in the past 3 years. Unsure prior to that but I doubt it. I think the tree was not planted deep enough just like several other trees in the yard as several of them have exposed roots along the ground (one tree has the exposed roots extending numerous feet beyond the canopy).
I prune the suckers off each year.
That is not a problem with the tree not being planted deep enough! There's almost no such thing as a tree not being planned to deep enough... They won't live past the first two years if they are not. Trees that are too deep to do okay for the first 8, 10, 12 years and start to fall out after that. I guess you could say they don't get surface roots because they don't live long enough to send that many roots out... But they will still get surface roots if the conditions below are met.
They're usually two contributors to surface roots:
1) Species. Silver maple:s native habitat is a wetland woods. In such a woods, if the roots go deep into the (saturated) soil, they cannot get oxygen. The species has adapted to this by developing a shallower root system.
2) Soil conditions. Pretty frequently Urban soils are heavily compacted. Once again, when trees cannot find oxygen deep in the soil, this day shallow.
They're usually two contributors to surface roots:
1) Species. Silver maple:s native habitat is a wetland woods. In such a woods, if the roots go deep into the (saturated) soil, they cannot get oxygen. The species has adapted to this by developing a shallower root system.
2) Soil conditions. Pretty frequently Urban soils are heavily compacted. Once again, when trees cannot find oxygen deep in the soil, this day shallow.
Silvers are bad to grow surface roots, dunno if planting depth would change that fact. Every silver I've seen had surface roots, just how they are I guess.
I had asked about another maple in this thread:
Thread 'Growth on Leaves' https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/growth-on-leaves.368038/
Both of these have dropped some pretty large limbs over the past three years.
Thread 'Growth on Leaves' https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/growth-on-leaves.368038/
Both of these have dropped some pretty large limbs over the past three years.
It seems these trees have excessive surface roots compared to other silver maples I've seen or felled in my area. The property would be considered semi-rural (far enough away from town for well, septic, and heating oil) and not out in the middle of nowhere. Farms all around.
Those are galls on the leaves in the other thread photos.
I saw them on my maple leaves two years ago and googled, also started a thread
https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/maple-galls.360680/
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ENT-60
The first year I wiped off as many as I could reach, but last year I didn't. Didn't notice any difference.
Are the other silver maple that you are thinking about in the woods and fields or are they in yards? Even a riding lawn mower adds significant compaction over the years. And, it is by a driveway so as far as the tree knows that's just really anaerobic soil and it may be adapting accordingly with shallow roots in other areas.
As with anything in nature, there are genetic differences to. I just looked at a big silver maple a week or two ago. It is in great shape, and I see no reason not too soon it won't stay that way.... However it will stick for them when it's got to come out. The trunk diameter was probably about 24". The root plate at the ground was probably closer to 6' ! What for whatever reason, I don't recall seeing many other surface roots on that individual.
Just noticed this.
That automatically sets off my alarm bells and whistles
... but I didn't see any typical herbicide damage on your tree leaves, or your neighbors.
Just noticed this.
That automatically sets off my alarm bells and whistles
When I say farms all around, not all of them are adjacent to my property.
Those are gorgeous trees.
Wonder how old they are? Maybe they've just reached the end of their lifespan?
Are you spraying anything on your yard? (Or previous owners may have been). Could be getting some herbicide through the roots which would explain why the ones with more surface roots look worse.
I caught that too and was gonna suggest they ask you about how that works out!Just noticed this.
That automatically sets off my alarm bells and whistles
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