big leaf maple crown die-off - Ask Extension
I live in St Johns and have a glorious old big leaf maple that is experiencing die-off in the crown as well as at the ends of some lower interior bran...
Knowledgebase
big leaf maple crown die-off #839451
Asked July 07, 2023, 12:02 PM EDT
I live in St Johns and have a glorious old big leaf maple that is experiencing die-off in the crown as well as at the ends of some lower interior branches. How can I help it recover? I have seen a similar pattern of distress in a big leaf maple in Pier Park.
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
Bigleaf maple dieback is occurring in scattered locations from Oregon to British Columbia. The causes are not clear, but it seems to be related to climate stress along with leaf hopper insects in some cases. Warm, dry sites and poor soils are associated with increased maple decline. For more information, see
https://www.oregon.gov/odf/Documents/forestbenefits/tree-declines-bigleaf-maple.pdf
Practically speaking, there is not much you can do to help a large tree that is declining due to climate stress. Watering trees during hot dry summers may help, but it requires deep watering over a large area. Insecticides might reduce damage from leaf hoppers, but that is generally very expensive and can have harmful effects on beneficial insects.
https://www.oregon.gov/odf/Documents/forestbenefits/tree-declines-bigleaf-maple.pdf
Practically speaking, there is not much you can do to help a large tree that is declining due to climate stress. Watering trees during hot dry summers may help, but it requires deep watering over a large area. Insecticides might reduce damage from leaf hoppers, but that is generally very expensive and can have harmful effects on beneficial insects.
