25-year-old maple tree dying in 3 days

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi all--

I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else here. A couple of years ago, the maple tree on our tree lawn-- was probably about 15 years old-- started to turn brown like a plant that hasn't been watered, and died in about three days-- turned completely brown. Now the same thing is happening to the maple tree-- a bigger one, maybe 25 years old, on my next-door-neighbor's tree lawn. I noticed it looked brown, when every other tree on the street is green, and the next day, it looked almost completely dead.

I can't understand how a tree could get that big and then just suddenly die. What could cause that? Something in the gaslines? Water lines? Somebody changing their oil and dumping it on the lawn in the night? Or do trees just do that sometimes, though I've never heard of it

Has this happened to anybody else? Does anybody know what could cause it? Is there any way to stop it once it's started?

Thanks.

Betsy

[Rhonda loje]

Betsey,
You need an arborist....
I would call Al Shauck @ 440-988-4470. From Ecotree Services (formerly Edward Tree Service).
He has help us with many trees in our neighborhood.
He will come out and let you know what is going on.
He is very reluctant to take down trees.
(Yes...I am a tree hugger!)


Rhonda

[Rhonda loje]

I just reread your post.
Has your street just been redone?
or sidewalks?
If so they could have cut the roots.
Rhonda

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi Rhonda,

Thanks for the advice. There hasn't been any work done on our street for a couple of years. I think it's too late, that's what I mean, it's scary. I think this tree's had it. It looked like all the other ones less than a week ago, with dark green leaves. I've never heard of any disease moving this fast, not that I know anything about the health of trees. What's happening to this tree is exactly what happened to the tree on the treelawn in front of our house a couple of years ago.

I was trying to take a picture for you outside, but it was too late already. (Tried to get the lightning to light it up for my fabulous I-phone camera but it came out black.) So I jumped up and grabbed the lowest branch I could reach. It cracked in half easily in my hand. No green left inside. I brought it inside and took a picture of the branch to post to show you.

You can see the bright green seed pod still attached.

I guess I should still call the Lakewood's arborist at City Hall.

It's so weird I just wanted to know if it had ever happened to anybody else. It seems like the Twilight Zone to me. And we'll miss the tree.

Thanks.

Betsy

[Rhonda loje]

It sounds like to me that the roots have been disturbed. It could take 2 to three years for a tree to die because you disturb it root system. And since all these trees are on the tree lawn...it sorta makes sense if you had any work done on your road or sidewalk that this could happen.

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi Rhonda,

I could understand the root thing if the tree had looked at least a little sick for the past two years since our roadwork was done, but it looked perfectly healthy about a week ago. Does your arborist friend come for free?

I don't have a tree doctor in my budget, and it's my next door neighbor's tree. I called City Hall when this happened to my tree a couple of years ago, or longer than that I guess. They took one look and cut it down, I guess I'm hoping something else can happen.

This tree wouldn't look too bad if it was Fall and its leaves were turning.

download-4.jpg (245.78 KiB) Viewed 19728 times

This tree is across the street from it, and a week ago, they looked the same.

download-5.jpg (109.17 KiB) Viewed 19728 times

I feel bad for the tree and so does the little girl who lives there. It doesn't look like it can be revived but maybe somebody knows some magic.

Thanks.

Betsy

[Stan Austin]

Betsy---- try this link----it's our forestry department. Sounds like exactly the expert advice you are looking for, just like any other city service.

http://www.onelakewood.com/PublicWorks/ ... fault.aspx

Advise us as to your response.

Stan

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi Stan.

I went to the site. Here's what it says:

Forestry

The City of Lakewood maintains all of the trees on public property, including those on tree lawns. Trees are removed when they are diseased or dead and pose a danger to the public. A certified urban forester supervises a crew of arborists who have all of the required equipment to trim branches, remove diseased trees including the stumps, plant new trees and shred the resulting wastes for recycling into mulch. Tree lawn trees are replaced according to a master reforestation plan. Mulch is available to Lakewood residents free of charge at the location near the Animal Shelter in the Rocky River valley. Logs are also available to residents for use as fire wood free of charge at the same location.

View Information on Gypsy Moth Infestation »
View Information on Emerald Ash Borer Infestation »
Registered Forestry Contractors

There is no link to report diseased trees like there is to report a pothole. When you click on Forestry Contractors there is a list of private contractors, none from Lakewood.

I'm not sure what to make of this-- do you know, Stan?-- does the City get their crew of arborists and their certified urban forester from this list? If so, why are they showing me the list? This seems to imply that I pick one and call. I remember Lakewood guys coming to my house when I reported the first tree. This seems different. Do they still have arborists and equipment? Or do they contract it out? The tree lawns are still public property right?

Okay. So I guess I'll call tomorrow.

Thanks.

Betsy

[Bryan Schwegler]

Betsy,
When I reported an issue with the tree on my tree lawn, I used this form:
http://onelakewood.com/ReportProblem/

Someone got back to me within 24 hours.

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi Bryan, thanks for the form. I will check it out. I'm really hoping to find out how that could happen to a tree so fast and if there's anything we can do about it on the street to stop it from happening to any more trees. Besides the fact that it's looking like somebody's going to have to come and take this tree down. But maybe not!

I'll let you know.
Thanks.

Betsy

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi, I'm checking in, I finally called the Division of Streets and Forestry in the Department of Public works at the City. I left a message on Monday and no-one got back to me. I called today and talked to a person who said she would pass on my information. I called instead of following Brian Schwegler's advice to click on the "report a problem" box because I was hoping to talk to someone who might explain to me how this happened.

The tree is very definitely dead now, but I don't think there is anything that could have been done to save it. (Not that I really know.) Now I'm thinking I shouldn't have said it was dead on the phone, I should have said it was sick, and maybe different people would come take care of it? I'm afraid people will come cut it down and I won't know why this happened, or if there are any steps I could have taken, or my neighbor could have taken, to stop it from happening. I'm still kind of worried about what's in the soil, or if something's leaking, or if someone poisoned it (?) is that even possible.

As I said, I don't have the resources to call and pay for a tree specialist.

I noticed that there is another tree just like my neighbor's on a tree lawn on Lake in front of the Gold Coast. The tree's leaves are all brown and shriveled-- it looks like we must be in the very last day's of Fall.

I will let you know what happens next.

Thanks for the advice.

Betsy

[Stan Austin]

Betsy--- First of all, thank you for pursuing this matter. The health of a tree in a designated City of Trees is important to all of us.

I am equally interested in responses you get to your inquiries and, along with others, what the diagnosis of any ailment might be.

Stan

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi all--

Well, there's the tree. I called the city last Monday, it was gone today when I got in this afternoon. No-one called to tell me what was wrong with it, or to tell me if there was anything I could have done to keep it alive, but it was most certainly dead and it was handled in one week.

I think I'm going to see if I can leave a question at the "Report a Problem" link, and ask if someone could get back to me about what happened to that tree, and if the people on my street can do anything to keep this from happening to the next maple tree to the left.

It's a lot sunnier now.

Betsy

[Christina McCallum]

Betsy,

If you are interested in a replacement tree for the one that died and was removed recently, you can call Forestry and request another tree. It may not be a maple, but you can have a new one planted.

The City usually does this in late October/November. We had a tree replanted last year after 1) removing a linden tree that was too large for the size tree lawn and 2) replacing our sidewalk, which was damaged by the linden tree's growth. We now have a Japanese cherry. Very pretty when it bloomed this past spring!

Christina