Mature tree sudden death epidemic

[whitehead1972]

Has anyone else in East London / Essex noticed that many more than usual mature street and garden trees appear to have died suddenly since last winter? Willow, poplar and flowering cherry seem to be worst affected. Is this a result of the very dry 12 month period that ended in June?

[treequip]

There are a number of pathogens that like the species you cited, the badly over hybridised cherry is a good example of nature running a red pen through mans best efforts. 

[nepia]

On 8/15/2017 at 20:28, whitehead1972 said:

Has anyone else in East London / Essex noticed that many more than usual mature street and garden trees appear to have died suddenly since last winter? Willow, poplar and flowering cherry seem to be worst affected. Is this a result of the very dry 12 month period that ended in June?

I wonder if the trees have actually died.  What I have seen is young trees and shrubs dropping their leaves.  The leaves have been green and I don't believe the trees I've seen (a cherry plum in my own garden) or shrubs (Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn' this morning) are dead; I reckon the plum will sprout afresh next spring and the Viburnum has apparently healthy terminal buds on bare stems.

 

Any ideas as to why they should have suddenly dropped their leaves.  Drought? - no way. We've had good rain since a long dry and cool spring.

 

The above is all in East Surrey btw, not East London or Essex so perhaps there is something different there but worth pondering nonetheless.

Edited August 24, 2017 by nepia
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[peatff]

I've noticed in a local park two old sycamores a couple of hundred feet apart have failed to leaf all down one side this year. They don't look well at all.

[nepia]

That sounds more ominous.

 

I encountered another naked cherry plum this morning 5 miles down the road.  Just a handful of apparently healthy leaves hanging on...

[Jake Andrews]

In the Bristol area have noticed mature trees have significant selective limb dieback. Not all over the canopy but specific selective limbs for no apparent reason.

[Gray git]

Lot of very sickly looking roadside trees around us mostly ash and sycamore which I think could have been a result of excessive salt over a period of harsh winters, I think I have taken out more mature dead trees this year than normal but with no one visible obvious connection.

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[Khriss]

Many different causes I think. Poor management / no investing in local trees / rubbish pruning practise / etc. Thankfully I still see quite a few new tree planting schemes actioned. K

[Gary Prentice]

Noticed that in the last weeks lots of goat willows leaves have turned brown and dropped off. Looks to be due to rusts. 

 

Birch, poplars and sorbus showing various signs now. On the good side, very little oak mildew and less sycamore tarspot than last year.