Hi, My brother has a forty-foot Douglas fir tree. The top one-fourth of the tree has exfoliated. I have examined the tree at the bottom to the extent I am able and could find nothing that appears amiss. I have searched online for diseases but could find nothing on exfoliation for this tree. There is another Douglas fir whose trunk is about five feet away, which appears healthy. Two different arborists from tree services have come to see the tree and had no comments about it's health but just offered to cut it down. He would like to save the tree. Any leads you can provide about what might be going on with this tree or what kind of expert he should approach would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.
Hi Michael, it is Zone 5, Glenview, IL. I do not have photos as the tree is at my brother's house. Thank you.
Thanks! Douglas-fir in that region is often badly attacked by needlecast diseases which thrive in the region's summer heat-humidity combination. Check out these pages to see if they match what you're seeing: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_df-ndlcst/ndlcst.htm http://extension.psu.edu/pests/ipm/...ration-and-injury/rhabdocline-needle-cast.pdf http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/factsheets/douglasfirneedlecasts.pdf
Michael, thanks for the great links you provided. The next time I visit my brother, I am going to bring binoculars and try to see more of what's going on at the top of that tree and compare it to the photos in the links. Have a great day.
