Brown leaves - the mystery

[sime42]

So.

 

Driving around recently I've been noticing lots of trees with brown, dead looking leaves. A certain bright brown/orange colour, they look crispy, almost like they've been burnt. Not complete trees, just portions of trees, at the top or thereabouts. Maybe just a few branches affected. It seems to be only small to medium sized trees, not seen any big ones like it.

 

I've not had a chance to stop and investigate yet, as I've always been driving and only been seeing it the last couple of weeks. I'm not even sure which trees it is but some have definitely been Sycamore, plus others with bigger leaves.

 

Anyone else observed anything similar? Any ideas what's going on? In other years I would've guessed heat or drought stress, but that doesn't seem likely this year.

 

 

 

 

 

[Stere]

Some kind of fungi...

 

 

 

[openspaceman]

branches ring barked by grey squrrel?

 

I'm seeing a lot of it this year, damage happens in July but withering becomes conspicuous as the leave go brown now.

 

Interestingly the young 6m tall ash I have grown from seed, as a dieback experiment (I prune out affected branches as soon as I see them), showed some symptoms of ring barked branches. Closer inspection showed it started at crotches, just as with squirrel, but I have seen no squirrel and the gnaw marks were too small.

 

It was a bit of a mystery until I noticed a few hornets visiting yesterday and stripping, presumably for the sap.

[PikeWood]

Grey Tree Rat stripping bark

[sime42]

32 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

branches ring barked by grey squrrel?

 

I'm seeing a lot of it this year, damage happens in July but withering becomes conspicuous as the leave go brown now.

 

Interestingly the young 6m tall ash I have grown from seed, as a dieback experiment (I prune out affected branches as soon as I see them), showed some symptoms of ring barked branches. Closer inspection showed it started at crotches, just as with squirrel, but I have seen no squirrel and the gnaw marks were too small.

 

It was a bit of a mystery until I noticed a few hornets visiting yesterday and stripping, presumably for the sap.

 

Ummm, interesting. I'd not considered my old nemesis, Grey Tree Rats. They would fit with what I've seen; isolated branches, Sycamores.

 

I need to stop sometime and have a proper, closer look.

 

 

 

 

[dan blocker]

That’s what PeteB said on another thread last week? Complete branches of Sycamores gone completely dead. Seen a lot of it last month or so but haven’t been close enough to establish a reason. Got some ash and sycamore to fell tomorrow so may see some a bit closer?

[PeteB]

On my rounds I've seen more dead Elm than previously,  ADB is massive everywhere, Sycamores seem to have Sooty Bark, Poplars are affected similarly and several other species are distressed too! Chestnuts trees are done for the year a tad early too!

[Dan Maynard]

I've just been away working in Ireland for 7 days, coming back it seems like everything has really browned off here, even all the grass has gone since I left.

[Mark J]

6 hours ago, Dan Maynard said:

I've just been away working in Ireland for 7 days, coming back it seems like everything has really browned off here, even all the grass has gone since I left.

There hasn't been a huge amount of rain lately, and what rain there has been has generally been followed by windy conditions. 

[Whoppa Choppa]

5 hours ago, Mark J said:

There hasn't been a huge amount of rain lately, and what rain there has been has generally been followed by windy conditions. 

 

🥺🤯🥴 Eh?!!! Not much rain?! It's still a swamp here in August! 🤬