Hemlock decline. Please look

[ducaticorse]

I met with a great customer of mine at her (large) property yesterday. Amongst the 3- 4 days of work she has for me there, she voiced concern os several hemlocks abutting her property that belong to her next door neighbor.

The trees had no sign of wooly or other infestation, are pretty much lumped together, and only have needles on maybe 17-25 percent of their branches. There is a BUTT LOAD of dead wooding to say the least.

These trees have been treated with horticultural oil for the last 6 seasons, and look like dog crap. There are also 3 DEAD hems in the cluster of 7 or so trees. Money is of no concern on this job. My first thought is to take these trees out and replant another row of screen trees, but the neighbor is emotionally attached to them thus my opinion on removal and replanting has to be well backed up. And I don't know who the chem applictor is, but he's been straight ripping these people off for the last 6 years, and there is a good chance that she's going to call him and sat WTF. Which in turn could lead to a nasty conversation with me.

Thoughts?

 

[Zale]

Any construction activity around these trees in the last 5 years or so?

 

[ducaticorse]

Any construction activity around these trees in the last 5 years or so?

There was a driveway put down in very close proximity to the root base. I had thought of compaction of the surrounding soil as a possible culprit. If this is the case, it opens up a particularly sticky situation due to the fact that the driveway was put in by my client, and the trees belong to the neighbor.

 

[Zale]

Yeah, new driveways can be a slow killer. Depending on the type of driveway, the issue might not be compaction but rather how much of the trees root system was removed when they put the drive in. Did they excavate or did they build on an existing drive? Is it asphalt, pavers or concrete? Each type requires different depths. Is there lighting around the driveway? In our area hemlocks are very sensitive to construction activity. Has the neighbor raised any concerns?

 

[ducaticorse]

Yeah, new driveways can be a slow killer. Depending on the type of driveway, the issue might not be compaction but rather how much of the trees root system was removed when they put the drive in. Did they excavate or did they build on an existing drive? Is it asphalt, pavers or concrete? Each type requires different depths. Is there lighting around the driveway? In our area hemlocks are very sensitive to construction activity. Has the neighbor raised any concerns?

The neigbor does not want the trees to go, but is reasonable. She has been spending money on the spraying for the last 6 years (not through me), but the trees are still 75-82 percent bare branches. The driveway is made of asphalt, so I don't believe the site work was too involved, but that is just a guess, so I will ask. We do get lighting here, but there is no obvious evidence of a strike. As far as lighting is concerned, there has been no trenching of conduit near the trees.

 

[Zale]

The neigbor does not want the trees to go, but is reasonable. She has been spending money on the spraying for the last 6 years (not through me), but the trees are still 75-82 percent bare branches. The driveway is made of asphalt, so I don't believe the site work was too involved, but that is just a guess, so I will ask. We do get lighting here, but there is no obvious evidence of a strike.

I meant lights around the driveway. Sometimes they will ditch-witch a trench thus cutting the roots. Sounds like they are stressed.

 

[ducaticorse]

I meant lights around the driveway. Sometimes they will ditch-witch a trench thus cutting the roots. Sounds like they are stressed.

LOL, I got that. I was editing my response when you typed this.

 

[capecodtree]

hemlocks

the trees may have been infested with w.adelgid and or mites, prompting the spray program. The tree's would have been stressed by the piercing sucking insects, add a little bit of root damage and the heat refracted off the new dw may have put them into decline that they cannot recover from. In my experience as an IPM tech. for a large tree co., once hemlocks are heavily infested by the w.a. they rarely recover, even once the adelgid has been eliminated. encourage planting evergreen's better suited for the site conditions.

 

[mikewhite85]

I used to work construction and we did a lot of driveways. We would pull up roots all the time with the backhoe when grading. Keep in mind there is a several inch layer of processed stone underneath that asphalt as well so the damage is deeper than you think, especially considering the majority of a trees roots are within a foot of the surface. The trees should go in my opinion. Don't mess up the asphalt when you take them down:msp_wink:

 

[NCTREE]

How Old are thr trees?

Hemlocks like to grow on northern side of slopes in well drain moist and cool climates so if these were planted the site might not be the best. Any soil disturbance or compaction could be big problems for these trees. Also hemlock do not like salt at all so planting next to roads or driveways usaully means death.

 

[ducaticorse]

How Old are thr trees?

Hemlocks like to grow on northern side of slopes in well drain moist and cool climates so if these were planted the site might not be the best. Any soil disturbance or compaction could be big problems for these trees. Also hemlock do not like salt at all so planting next to roads or driveways usaully means death.

Oldest one in the row I'm aproximating at roughly 60-80YO using the dbh/height method. Yes, thay are very close to a driveway, and roughly 40 feet from a heavily traveled road. At this point I feel that my advice for removal and replanting is sound.

 

[capetrees]

How sudden was the decline? The mention of salt got me thinking to what happened down here after Irene blew through. The cape didn't get the rain but we did get the humid salty winds of the storm and that lingered on the trees. Lots of deciduous trees lost their leaves early and others just got burnt. Any chance the trees were burnt by the salt air of the storm? I'm in a similar situation having to remove 6 hemlocks, 15-20 years old.

 

[ducaticorse]

How sudden was the decline? The mention of salt got me thinking to what happened down here after Irene blew through. The cape didn't get the rain but we did get the humid salty winds of the storm and that lingered on the trees. Lots of deciduous trees lost their leaves early and others just got burnt. Any chance the trees were burnt by the salt air of the storm? I'm in a similar situation having to remove 6 hemlocks, 15-20 years old.

The trees are located metro west, as such, they weren't susceptible to salt spray. My thoughts are that the driveway is heavilly salted in the winter by the HO's contractor, and the runoff drained directly into the soil the hems are planted in. As stated previously, the trees have been sprayed for the last 6 seasons, and still look like ****, so I'm thinking there are a number of contributing factors here.

 

[BC WetCoast]

I know these are Eastern hemlocks and we have western hemlocks, but we have found that ours are sensitive to root disturbance and to drought stress. The drought stress usually doesn't exhibit signs until at least the next growing season.

You may also want to check the roots for armillaria, which is common here.

 

[Bigus Termitius]

When I get a client that is 'emotionally' attached to trees that are without question shot, which can be understandable, I simple share how the tree must be suffering in this condition. That usually gets the removal approved. Mix that in with talk of the joy and honor of planting and you've really given them something to be happy about. Not that I'm a strict removal and replant proponent, but it has its place. And what a place it can be with the new life that new healthy trees can breathe into a place.

 

[squad143]

I have a lot of Hemlocks around my area. Most likely 1/3rd of the trees I remove are Hemlock.

They don't like having there roots disturbed at all. Hard to tell without pictures, but my guess is that the driveway installation did them in.