Old Sick Spruce

[lindnova]

What time of year is best to remove a sick spruce likely with possibly cytospora canker? Winter? I am thinking about removing it soon. The way I understand it it is better to do it when dry rather than wet.

I have an old spruce in my yard that is dying off very slowly. I think it is a white spruce as it has short bluish needles, but not as long as blue spruce. There is a spruce next to it that is very nice and healthy and a large 100+ yr windbreak of Norway nearby. This tree was sick years ago then stayed the same for 10 years and recently in the last 2 years is going downhill fast. I have an aerial from 1968 where it is the same size as the tree next to it, but for 30 years it has lost vigor and the other tree is much taller.

It is loosing needles from the bottom up and has lots of sap leaking on the trunk. For years it had branches dead on the bottom with an ok upper, but lately it seems to be worse. It is near a windbreak of Norway spruce and I have planted blue, white and Norway seedlings near it also. If I remove it now I can protect the seedlings from damage when the tree falls rather than waiting later when they are larger.

This picture is old from 2008 and the tree is 2nd from left, but is much worse today.

 

[lindnova]

Here is the picture. It didn't load.

 

[Raintree]

Just a few notes...

Best to remove diseased trees when fungal spores are not active. (winter is good) Clean up needle litter.

Any stressed Spruce will have stunted (short) needles.

Cytospora canker will manifest throughout the tree canopy not just from the bottom up. (see needle cast)

Sap leaking on trunk may be Pitch Mass Borer.

 

[lindnova]

Well I cut it down yesterday. It had some rotten spots in the trunk and lots of sap for a cold single digit morning. I plowed where the tree fell and cleaned up and got all I could away from the other trees, although raking in snow only does so much. Here are pictures of it. I was obviously dying all over this time. It has had dead branches on the bottom and looked sickly for as long as I can remember (30 years) I think it had a bout 30 years ago from something and partially recovered although sickly looking, but the wet spring last year may have reactivated whatever it is as the upper part always looked halfway healthy. I hope it doesn't spread to the tree next to it as it is a great tree and provides a lot of privacy. I have some seedlings that are coming along nicely, hopefully they are ok. I protected them with some firewood rounds placed around and bridging over. The tree fell perfect between them and the wood protected them from any branches hitting them.

An interesting note: All three trees in the one pic have a crook in the trunk about the same spot. I assume that would be over 40 years ago. I have an aerial pic from 1968 and there was another tree in that picture that was blown over I assume as I remember a stump with a splintered piece sticking up a few feet where that tree was. The other trees have a lean to them from the wind. Must have been some storm to maybe break the tops of all trees? Or maybe it was animal or bird?

 

[Raintree]

Spruce gall aphid

 

[lindnova]

Thanks. I looked up spruce gall aphids and they can be a long term problem that usually doesn't kill trees. Interesting that only one tree got it. I have seen a few brown spots on the other tree, but not much at all. Hopefully I don't have any other problems with them.