Norway spruce new growth falling off

[treesurgeon]

Loss of New Growth in Norway Spruce. 65' tall, by driveway and street.
I have hundreds of branch tips falling off at the nodes. Most fell off in the last couple weeks.
They re 2-4 inches long.
Can't find any specific reason.
Theory's are, stress, acid rain/pollution, or squirrels.
Does anyone know what this can be?

 

[joezilla11]

Spruce galls maybe? I know it affects new growth but I don't know that it'll make it fall off, just thinking out loud with you. I have a large Norway with new growth also affected and a closer inspection found galls.

 

[treesurgeon]

Galls

Spruce galls maybe? I know it affects new growth but I don't know that it'll make it fall off, just thinking out loud with you. I have a large Norway with new growth also affected and a closer inspection found galls.

No galls on the tree, but its possible that it had them in the past.
The branch tips are all from new growth from the last growing season
And they are green as can be.

 

[Treepedo]

This time of year it may be twig girdler if it is hollow where it is severed
or
Squirrels eating the young bud. I love Spruce bud especially Colorado wait till the needles just start to pop from the bud skin. High in Vitamin C and supposedly keeps the HD lead in the pencil

 

[Youngbuck20]

I noticed the same thing with the norway spruce here actually. It didnt last. The new growth or some of the new growth was all over the driveway and then about a week later gone. Im going to say squirrels because there are lots here and they love the cones. You can see them bombing them to the ground from 70' up lol. The tips that were on the ground were 100% healthy. Im def going with squirrels. The trees dont look any different from it.

 

[PJM]

Most likely this is squirrel pruning. You should be able to see the jagged ends from where they chewed the tip off. Also look for empty buds that they would have fed on.

 

[treesurgeon]

Seems like they are all falling off at the start of last years growth.
Hundreds of them. I think I could rule out the squirrell theory.

Could this be a stress thing that might happen every now and then?