Hello Michelle,

The scattered needle browning visible in the first photo looks unconcerning and is a typical phenomenon by itself, but there could be more serious issues related to the other symptoms you describe. The fact that you can see a fair amount of light coming through the tree's canopy when viewed from below suggests that the canopy has thinned due to dieback and something below that foliage (whether in the branches, trunk, and/or roots) is responsible for the reduction in growth.

The webbing looks like spider (not spider mite) webs, so is not worrying. Spider mite webbing tends to more tightly hug the foliage or blooms of the plants the mites are infesting, and in our experience tends not to catch as much debris. Plus, in order to have webbing span this much of a distance between branches, the mite population would be very high, which we don't see. Bagworms are indeed a pest to watch for on Junipers, but we don't see any in the photos either.

The orange fungus you noticed was most likely rust, a very common disease in our region that usually doesn't cause serious harm to the Juniper host (where it spends part of its life cycle) but can cause more damage or at least an eyesore of an infection on the rose-family host (where it spends the rest of its life cycle). The posts by Ohio State linked below illustrates some of the symptoms visible on each. Although the exact plants pictured can vary, and the author is in Ohio, the symptoms apply to any susceptible host here as well. Some types of rust do cause more damage to the Juniper host, and that may be the case here, even though we can't see rust in the photos currently. There is no fungicide practical or effective to use for this.

• Cedar-Quince Rust
• Rust on Junipers

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker holes are incidental and not responsible for the tree's ailments. While dieback from their sap wells can occasionally occur on thin-barked trees, we have not seen that happen with Juniper. (Unlike other woodpeckers, they are not trying to drill-out insects under the bark.)

The arborist will be able to make a better assessment of the bark than we can, but yes, deer antler rubbing is a possible factor for missing or damaged bark, though it won't have caused any canopy dieback. Squirrels often use bark strips in nesting, so they could also be responsible for some of that. A fox digging at the trunk base will not cause drastic damage, nor will cat urine/feces, though urine can temporarily "burn" turfgrass.

Junipers do not thrive in soggy soil, and unless the spongy nature of the soil in this area is due to vole or mole tunneling (which a fox certainly would try to dig out and eat), that degree of soil moisture could be causing root loss. Dying roots does lead to a reduction in foliage. Plus, as you suspect, the significant soil compaction from the weight of a car will also hamper soil drainage and allow the soil to stay wetter for longer after rain or irrigation. This type of compaction is not easily or quickly reversed and harms soil health, so minimizing it is for the best.

Does any pool water get emptied into this part of the yard? Aside from too much water, components like chlorine could be causing problems for the tree.

Moss is fine, though suggests the bark stays moist for awhile after rain. We're not sure if we see fungal growth on the bark itself, however. Can you please share some close-up photos of what looks like whitish residues running up-and-down the trunk along the length of the ridges of bark? It might be nothing and a normal bark feature, but it's hard to tell at this distance. A photo of the overall tree (from nearby, not underneath) so we can see what the canopy looks like may also be helpful.

Groundhogs (we assume this is what you since Maryland doesn't have gophers) are best excluded from an area with fencing or some other physical barrier. Repellents might work in combination with this or as an alternative. Mid- to late summer is a good time to try evicting them from a burrow as any babies present will be more mature and this gives the animals just enough time to find/make a new burrow that will shelter them for the winter. The Humane Society of the U.S. offers some additional suggestions.

Miri

Thank you for the additional photos and more information.

We're not certain what's causing the clusters of whitish growth/residue on some of the branch tips visible in the final photo. A close-up would help, but the tree is large enough that we don't expect you to be able to get one. The rust galls could be one factor contributing to minor twig dieback and canopy thinning. Overly-wet roots is another. A third is bagworms, which while we didn't see young bagworm bags in the pictures, that object you're asking about is definitely an old bagworm case. Perhaps the population isn't large enough to be causing much damage, but that indicates they've been around in years past, at least. Treating a tree this large for bagworms may not be practical, and would involve the use of a certified pesticide applicator (through a landscaping or tree-care company or arborist). Before doing so, though, one would need to verify that they are present and numerous.

From what we can see, the groundhog hasn't disturbed enough soil (and therefore roots) around the tree to be responsible for any significant level of damage. While a nuisance for other reasons, it's probably a non-issue regarding tree health.

We're also not certain whey the ground in its root zone is unevenly damp, but subsurface obstacles to drainage (and even water sources, like seepages or springs that don't break the surface) can be present but remain undetected. If a natural feature, this tree has been growing here long enough that it's probably not a serious threat to its health or it wouldn't have reached this age. If it's worsening, then it could cause decline due to root loss. Compacted soils drain much more poorly, and aeration of the lawn might help to alleviate some of it, though it's not a complete fix.

We can't identify what looks like white fungal growths on the bark, though they may be harmless if they are only growing in the outermost bark layers, especially as these layers naturally shed off in strips as Redcedar bark does. If fungi were decaying the wood underneath, it's likely the tree would look much worse or dead by now, given how extensive these growths appear to be. Perhaps an arborist has seen this on other trees to know whether it indicates a problem or is a non-issue. For what it's worth, in our experience and research, it's not a normal feature of the bark itself, regardless of tree age. Whatever the cause, it cannot be treated.

With the added views of the canopy, the tree actually doesn't look too bad overall for now. You can always get the opinion of a certified arborist who can assess the tree in person. (Or another, if the person you used already was certified.) A second opinion from a different arborist can be valuable, especially if one proposes expensive treatments. Some arborists work for tree-care companies while others consult independently. If one arborist didn't think the tree was in danger of serious dieback or falling, then you may not need to worry for now. The speed or extent of tree decline can be hard to predict. Arborists aren't able to intervene with many causes of of tree decline, as pesticides won't treat every condition or reverse existing damage, and fertilizers rarely have benefit, but arborists can assess a tree or its immediate environment for sources of stress that might be able to be alleviated. Your inclination to improve drainage and lessen compaction is really all you can do at this point, and you can always have the tree re-assessed in a future year.


Miri