Does the street dept. use road salt during the winter?

Sugar maples aren't typically subjected to many diseases, but it does look like the result of VW. A branch or two sent to the county horticultural/agricultural office might help if you can gather them.

Yes but it doesn’t go on the beds. Even if it is salt, it is only the sugar maples and no other trees are affected.

I’m not sure my company will go that far with the testing. It’s bizzare though how only the sugar maple is affected and not any other maple. Also it’s not like they are in a bad drainage spot and soil is good as well. I thought diseases like this only occur as a result of bad drainage or waterlogged soil.

But This is another one in the woods, you can see the norway behind it totally unaffected

Well, then maybe the salt weakened it and the disease took advantage

Just poor planning on tree type and planting locations.

Some quick thoughts based on years of observation....

1. Do an online review of 'What disease is affecting northern sugar maples'.

2. Do an online review of 'how to identify Verticillium wilt, on site, in Maple trees'.

3. I have not posted the following in a number of years.

It may relate to some of the problem Heruga is seeing. I stumbled onto it about 60 years ago by chance and it should be checked out, especially in older-type communities where sections of street trees, usually maples, show a decline that might make one suspicious of a VW infection problem.

It is very common for buried gas lines along city streets to develop pin hole leaks which are not detected for years. Just enough gas leaks out to cause the slow demise of nearby trees. Whenever I see a street tree being removed because it was dying I will enquire of the crew if the local gas company had checked for an area gas leak . The answer is, "probably not". Follow up work indicates many times that there was an undetected gas leak.

4. Over these many years it has been my crusade to keep an eye on street trees and when I see one that exhibits slowly dying branches I make a call to the gas company requesting a check for a possible gas leak. Not an uncommon problem. Start looking. You may save a street tree today.

Gas killed a flowering cherry outside my parents’ house.

Well the tree was finally cut down and here’s what it looks like in the inside. It definitely had some kind of fungal disease. But Bill I think you are right, I see sugar maples like this all over northern NJ and mostly ones growing along the road. So probably the combination of salt like you said and I think asphalt heat damage is causing these trees to weaken and become more susceptible to disease.

So I would have to guess other maples are more tolerant. I feel like sugar maples are one of those trees you would expect in the deep wilderness and not in urban/suburban landscape settings. Although I can’t say for sure since I never tried to grow them anywhere before.

There are many varieties of trees that cannot endure urban pollution. Some are more susceptible than others.

4:15

@nandina our beautiful JM maple is dying. I think verticillium wilt. I noticed our dog has been digging about a couple of feet near it. Yesterday I noticed a couple of weird Beatles on a leaf and a little white powder.
I'm heartbroken. I hope for a miracle.