Does sound like cold damage. Look around for others in vicinity and see how they look, if there are nearby plants on similar sites that came through then maybe it is something else. It was quite wet in November, for instance.

What town or district are you in? This is a tree for mild neighborhoods near salt water, on sandy or other warm, coarse soil. Stands of madronas in the neighborhood would tend to indicate suitable soils and exposures, although the native is hardier to cold.

We're in South Everett. I just looked again and that split goes from the ground to the top - about 8'. It sure does look bad.

Do you have any doubt at all? I'll cling to hope as long as possible!

Thanks,

Maro

I love arbutus marina and planted 2. One died from not enough water and the other started to so I moved it to a raised bed where it would be watered often but drain quickly. It's OK but not thriving. These seem to be finicky trees, but beautiful if one can get established. At Marylhurst University in West Linn there are lots of arbutus unedo that are established and flourishing. How they did it I don't know ... I've noticed a lot of madrones dying around Portland because there isn't as much rain in the spring / early summer any more, and it's gotten way too hot in the summer.

Fungus problems more likely than lack of water. If you can get a small 'Marina' grown from a cutting it may not be rootbound, unlike the large tubbed specimens from California.

I have a quite large arbutus.... they grow wild here and although difficult to transplant, I have successfully reared two. However, they are subject to a very uinpleasant virus going around, and my large (15 ft) tree is now not looking good, with dead leaves and long, leafless shoots., this may be your problem also.... and I don't think there is any solution.

I saw quite a few of the big Arbutus / Madrone trees turn brown in one area of the canyon driving to the Redwood forest about 2 hours from here.

Cold + wind

The splitting on yours may be secondary, due to wood drying from an earlier problem this winter. If you don't see new buds in the next 3 to 4 weeks, its unlikely that it will recover.

Thank you all for your comments. We decided there was no hope and cut it down today. The last picture shows the rootball.

Last summer it was beautiful, with new growth everywhere.

This was a couple of days ago.
{{gwi:1074532}}

This morning here's what's left. There was no green anywhere. Does it look strange? It's just about two feet, and where are all the roots?

It's very sad. :(

That's very sad indeed.

If the rootball came out really easily, and that is all there was, a lot of roots must have been dying off months ago.

It that a big gash in the base of the trunk just where it comes out of the ground? That might have something to do with your problem, but I'm not quite sure what I'm looking at since the bark has mostly peeled off.

The vertical crack looks typical of frost damage, but not what I would expect given the plant and the conditions - i.e. it looks a tree subjected to temperatures far below its minimum tolerance.

As I recall, Marcia, that tree was relatively recently relocated from another site on your property, yes? I'd venture the move, the slow development of a new root system combined with our despicable winter weather was likely the culprit for its demise. Too bad - it was a lovely, well-shaped and apparently healthy tree when I last saw it.

What do you anticipate planting in its place?

Pam, yes, it was moved when we had the sewer line hooked up in the fall of 2004. We hired a reputable tree person to move it, even. I don't know -- maybe that's a good place for a gorgeous ceanothus that I always want to put somewhere.

Ian, the rootball came out very easily. I don't know that there was a gash, but lots of splitting and bad-looking places that weren't there last fall.

{{gwi:1074538}}

{{gwi:1074540}}

That's just the way it goes, sometimes. But --

DonÂt you think I can do something with this interesting structure? (Lemonade, you know.)

{{gwi:1074541}}

{{gwi:1074543}}

It has actually burst apart, but that may be from drying of the wood after it died. Besides cold weather, heavy soil and assorted fungi/bacteria and water molds arbutus are prone to sudden oak death (Phytophthora ramorum). This seemingly aggressive water mold is one of those plant pathogens that can manifest itself in a range of ways, may not be recognized without laboratory procedures.