Any ideas whats wrong with this Ash tree?

[shillo]

I was called to look at this tree yesterday.

 

It looked in perfect health last year. One of my regulars.

 

the stem looks clean. its a stone stood against the base in the photo.

 

Any ideas?

[shillo]

tree is in sheltered location, approx 45m from stream, in small valley bottom, with healthy Ash within the same area.

[shillo]

somebody must have an idea??

[skyhuck]

Looks pretty much dead to me.

[Andy Gentle]

I have seen similar in the past when trees have been poisoned, I am going by what looks like stunted misshapen growth on the remaining leaves.

[MATTMOSS]

It could be a long list of things that could of killed it. Do you know of any history of work thats been done around it? digging, changes to the soil, damage to the tree, water logging, drought, contamination? From the pictures I would say it has been under stress for some reason and some pathogen has got into it and is killing it quickly.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

no, its been moth eaten!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Heres a good shot of a tree thats had a dose of the greedy beggers! tree on left you can on a close up see a little transference where they nipped across to the other tree.

 

[MATTMOSS]

That could explain it! Insects, which moth are you saying Tony?

When i see the dense growth on the twigs i look at this as a reaction to stress and the tree trying to get more foiliage out, but i suppose that could be down to repeated pruning or any form of stress, although it doesnt look like normal epicormic growth you get throughout the crown its more in the tips.

Is this one of the things that points to being eaten by insects tony?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

That could explain it! Insects, which moth are you saying Tony?

When i see the dense growth on the twigs i look at this as a reaction to stress and the tree trying to get more foiliage out, but i suppose that could be down to repeated pruning or any form of stress, although it doesnt look like normal epicormic growth you get throughout the crown its more in the tips.

Is this one of the things that points to being eaten by insects tony?

 

yes, because the re shooting is right out to the growth tips, so die back is not the cause, its re flushing all over:thumbup1:

 

This is one of the worst defoliations ive seen, if it doesnt suffer a similar one next year it will probably be fine if not and it continuosly gets defoliated the consequences will be obvious