Any ideas what could be killing these hawthorns?

[Woodworks]

Bit of common land just down the road is covered in hawthorns. The last few years have seen many of then suddenly dying. Do they just have a shortish lifespan or could there be something killing them? I can take close ups as I walk the dog down there most days. I would say at least 5% of them have gone in the last 3 years and might be as much as 10%

[Gary Prentice]

Has the land got a lot wetter?

 

Even dead, falling over within a few years like that makes me think the soils waterlogged, roots have rotted and over they go.

[Woodworks]

Thanks Garry

 

This winter and 2016 are/were shockers last winter less so. Had 4 dry days in the last 2 months for example.  Thing is this is  Dartmoor so water logging is pretty common but maybe not for such prolonged periods as we have had in recent years.  

 

If I took pictures of the root would it be easy to tell if this was the problem?

Edited February 2, 2018 by Woodworks

[se7enthdevil]

i think they only last 100-150 years so maybe some are dying of old age too?

[Gary Prentice]

Seems a lot to all be going at the same time, and then uprooting!

 

How do the live ones look? Are the retrenching, parts of the canopy dead with other parts okay? 

 

They don’t look to have much in way of rootplate, are the roots live and broken, large vertical descending roots rotten? 

I would be concentrating on the roots I think, to find a cause

[Graham]

I see a lot in some of the old hedges I lay.  Generally find honey fungus and Ganoderma spp present.

[Woodworks]

3 hours ago, Gary Prentice said:

 

 

How do the live ones look? Are the retrenching, parts of the canopy dead with other parts okay? 

 

They don’t look to have much in way of rootplate, are the roots live and broken, large vertical descending roots rotten? 

I would be concentrating on the roots I think, to find a cause

Yes there is there some deadwood in the standing trees but nothing dramatic. Will have a good look at the roots tomorrow but I think most of them look much like the ones in the picture. 

[Woodworks]

21 hours ago, Graham said:

 

Edited February 3, 2018 by Woodworks

[Woodworks]

Had another look at them this morning. They are dying in clusters and these tend to be on the wettest ground. Only found fungi on one standing tree and a different sort on a couple of fallen ones but most dont have any obvious fungi on them. Only other type of tree down there is also on it's way out and it's right shame is was a lovely holly some years ago.