Why are my young cedars dying off NW MI. ? Seems to be spreading to nearby cedar trees.

[Kewadin]

I planted about a dozen bare root cedars from soil conservation dist. They were potted for a few years then planted over 5-15 years. this spring was wet with standing water and then drought like start to summer. On top of that was Very Cold winter. The green slowly turns brown, then whole tree is dead. Seems to be spreading. What can be done to stop the spread? 5-6 are dead and about a dozen more at risk.

 

[cus_deluxe]

would be interested to see pictures. Are they dying from the top down? Are there any lesions/cankers on the bark? Do you know what variety of cedar they are?

 

[Kewadin]

8/24/15 The one on the left was the first to go. I thought the tree was killed from the extreme winter or the standing water might have cooked the roots in the hot sun? Wilted, then browned.

 

[Raintree]

Possible Armillaria root rot, have you noticed a chronosequence of mortality?

 

[Kewadin]

I haven't seen many mushrooms around there. The one on the left was first to go and I didn't notice it last year.

 

[Raintree]

Thinking the lack of fruiting bodies eliminates Armillaria as a possibility is folly.
Look for fungal mycelia growing between the bark and sapwood at the base of your trees.

 

[Kewadin]

TY Raintree. I did some reading about that fungus and took some more pictures. I didn't notice the white layer under the bark but there seems to be some dying maples nearby that have that white flag. Some of my almost dead cedars have a blue fungus on the bark higher up? I found a couple other cedars dying away from the group and dead bushes too, a wild red berry bush. I thought it was too much standing water this past spring but it might be that Armillaria ? And my worst folly was thinking I could do something about it.

 

[Raintree]

Soil born fungal pathogens are difficult to diagnose for the homeowner. It's best to engage a knowledgeable professional for on location advice. Your options are few, growing woody plants in low oxygen soils is a challenge. Your new pics of tree trunks show lichens, not harmful.

 

[Guido Salvage]

I would like to commend the OP for posting pictures that allowed other to assist. A lot easier than trying to guess what is occurring based on a description alone.

 

[Kewadin]

I had a DNR forester out today and ,the cedars have a bark beetle, the maple have a maple wilt fungus. The neighbor has a tree service that thinks it can treat and save some of the maples. The county forester said I could treat the beetle with a bayer product for trees and shrubs. First I have to remove and burn the dead ones.

 

[cedargreen]

"I am having a problem with cedars dying. I live in Cheboygan county Michigan. It started about 2-3 years ago. a couple of med size(5"-8" diameter base) cedars started thinning out on top areas good green foliage just falling off. then the rest of the tree to where they look as a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. ultimately what foliage that was left, turned brown. Now i have at least a dozen cedars that show the same symptoms. I have looked for bugs discoloration or anything that may be invading my trees. It seems to affect all sizes of cedars. I love my cedars they offer us a nice wind break in the winter mos.

 

[BC WetCoast]

On the trees that have recently died or are dying, peel back the bark at ground level. If there is a white felt like mat under the bark, you have armallaria root rot. This can spread from tree to tree via the roots.

If your trees are infected all you can do is maintain the tree vigour, fertilize and proper water management (don't overwater).

 

[Kewadin]

I think the Merit tree and shrub product took care of my bark beetle problem. But only time will tell. Some of my cedar trees seem to have dropped a lot of green this year. I don't remember seeing so much drop but it may be normal as the remaining green looks good.