Dying Maple Tree - Ask Extension
Hello - I live adjacent to the Chaska Towne Course and have a beautiful green space between the golf course and my residential home where I have been ...
Knowledgebase
Dying Maple Tree #794438
Asked June 06, 2022, 10:36 AM EDT
Hello - I live adjacent to the Chaska Towne Course and have a beautiful green space between the golf course and my residential home where I have been nurturing maple saplings for the past 20 years. Many have grown wonderfully. In the past few years a few have begun to die. The leaf out in spring and then leaves start to die and after a few years the tree only has a very few branches that leaf out. Basically, the tree appears to be dead. My question is, what happened? Is the tree lost? If lost, is it a disease that will spread to the other maples? Can I just take it down or is there special disposal recommendations I should follow? Thank You!!
Carver County Minnesota
Expert Response
There are a several reasons for maple tree decline. The first is that the tree was planted too deeply and developed stem girdling roots. These trees do fine until the roots strangle the tree. See: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/environmental/girdling.aspx
Another possibility is that the tree was browsed by deer/critters and girdled the stem cutting off nutrients and water to/from the roots. There does appear to be an area that could be browsing damage but I can’t enlarge the photo to say for sure. Maples trees have very thin bark and are susceptible.
Finally there could be a disease process. See our website for more details on this possibility.
https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/maple/index.html
Another possibility is that the tree was browsed by deer/critters and girdled the stem cutting off nutrients and water to/from the roots. There does appear to be an area that could be browsing damage but I can’t enlarge the photo to say for sure. Maples trees have very thin bark and are susceptible.
Finally there could be a disease process. See our website for more details on this possibility.
https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/maple/index.html
