Help! Is my maple tree dead?

9 years ago

Hi there. Four years ago (May 2013) I bought two "Autumn Blaze" (Acer x freemanii 'Jeffersred') Maples from a local nursery and had them professionally planted about 30 ft. apart in our suburban back yard. They seemed to take to their new home and get established nicely, and both grew significantly each year. Last fall they were both beautiful and healthy-looking—around 20 ft. tall.

Sadly, this spring, one of them budded and leafed out like normal, and the other didn't leaf at all. I'd think it is completely dead except for the fact that it is now sprouting a few new sprigs/leaves directly out of the trunk, right at the junction where the trunk first starts to branch. There are basically no leaves on the canopy.

Any idea what could have happened? Why would this tree “die” while it's brother is just fine? Is it salvageable? Anything I can do to help it?

My wife and I are super bummed, as we bought these trees for our kids—one for each—so they could grow together. Our daughter is sad that "her tree" is dead. :(

Thanks for any help you can give me.

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Comments (4)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years ago
Well, it's certainly not 'dead' - it wouldn't be producing ANY leaves if that were the case - but it is definitely stressed for some reason to cause that top die back.

There looks to be patches of 'wet' on the bark......is that what that discoloration is? Is it sticky at all? How were the trees presented when they were planted - balled and burlapped? In a wire cage? Were you present when they were planted and what happened to the rootballs.......was all wrapping material removed? Can you post a close up photo of the trunk as it enters the soil? Can you provide any details about the planting......, what kind of soil you have, how big the planting hole was, any amending, etc. The more information you can provide, the better the chances are we can narrow down what the problem might be.
tscholorado thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
tscholorado
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi gardengal48, thanks for the reply. The wet bark is because I'd just sprayed it with the hose while watering our herb garden a few minutes before I took the photos.

When the trees were planted in May 2013 they were brought burlapped ... and that was removed when they put it in the hole.

They amended the soil with Mycorrhizal fungi which you can kind of see in this photo:

I think it was probably this stuff.

Keep in mind that was all 4 years ago. The tree seemed to establish easily and well, and grew beautifully. By last September (2016) it looked great:

And it continued that way through October 2016 when it dropped all its leaves:

But this Spring was a different story. The other maple that was planted at the same time leafed out nicely, and this one did not.

Something definitely must've happened over the winter. Sorry I don't have a better photo of the trunk at the moment ...

Thanks again for any thoughts you might have about cause, and potentially saving the tree.
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cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What's going on at the base there?

It looks like it has been beaten with a weedeater repeatedly.

If there is that sort of damage all the way around then we have our answer.
tscholorado thanked cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
tscholorado
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Not sure why the trunk is splitting like that ... it's never been touched with a weed eater or mower.