where are you??

looks like what i have on just about every tree in my MI garden.. due to hard frosts and freezes ... a few weeks back ...

and what am i missing.. as a few brown leaves does not equate to rot ... is there anything oozing from the tree.. a forgotten pic???

ken

Brown rot is a disease of the fruit. What you appear to have is a twig borer, maybe Anarsia lineatella.

Brown rot is a disease of the fruit but can cause the braanch end "flags" as shown in OP's images

As jean notes, brown rot is not just restricted to fruit - ornamental/flowering cherries get it in my location on a pretty routine basis and it does show up as the branch end flags and/or stem dieback. Occurrence of the disease is greatly increased in warm, wet springs, which many parts of the country experienced this season.

Recommended control is to prune out and destroy the affected branches, cutting back at least 3-6" beyond any visible signs of infection. If the problem persists in subsequent years, chemical control with a registered fungicide is suggested as well.

well it seems you warm zone peeps have a different opinion than us freeze zone peeps..

so the first question becomes .. where is OP ???

its probably too early in the season.. for rots in MI ...

anyway .. looking back at the pix.. it is an extremely old tree.. and infringing on your eaves and roof and gutters ... meaning you have other issues beyond what made the leaves brown ... extreme pruning or removal ... is probably necessary ...

and if removal is an option.. then the brown stuff is irrelevant ...

ken

Thanks everyone for their input. I am in the Seattle WA area.

I agree that the tree needs to be pruned back a lot, but I am afraid the laws here regarding tree removal are fairly strict, so I don't think that is an option at the moment.

I self diagnosed the problem with the tree, but I have no history with trees (having grown up in the desert around cactus and small bushes) and I didn't notice any issues with the tree until after the blossoms fell off.

I guess its possible that a late freeze could be the issue but I dont recall a particularly cold day/week this spring.

{{gwi:374866}}

If you're in Seattle, then it's brown rot. Pretty much a fact of life with cherry trees in this neck of the woods. Some years much worse than others - last year was a doozy!! Hard to find a cherry, fruiting or otherwise, that was not afflicted.

I'd also comment that a PNW'er response to tree size and placement is rather different from many living elsewhere. This is the land of the big trees - native trees here can exceed 60' and it is not at all uncommon to find one or more in an average 5000-6000 sf urban/suburban lot, specially in older, established neighborhoods. Even most ornamental trees grows fast and large here. And as the OP notes, many neighborhoods will have very specific regulations about tree removal. But judicious pruning to maintain safety as well as the health of the tree is always advised.

ditto what gardengal148 said.
True also here in the Portland, OR, area.

My Vandalay I got bareroot from Raintree (in Western Wa.) has something really bad that could be brown rot. All the new growth is turning brown and dying off. I have 3 other cherries very close. Totally healthy. Should I pull the Vandalay?

Well, I've learned my new thing for the day; can I go home now?

Had never known - or, maybe I just glossed right over any such information - that brown rot affected leaves/twigs - as my only concern was with the fruit.
Filing that away for future reference.