Dead black locust

[samsquatch]

I don't see many of these die out. Did the White pine cause it too much competition? Or what other ideas do we have?

 

[cerviarborist]

Is that pretty green monoculture lawn being treated with anything? How long has the tree been dead? Are the branch tips still flexible, or are they desiccated and brittle? What's the history of improvements/work on the site? You've got to start collecting clues so that you can piece together a professional opinion.

 

[samsquatch]

No lawn treatments, dried tips, dead for a year. No backyard improvements.

 

[ATH]

that black or honey locust?

bug activity under the bark?

Any signs of fungal infections?

 

[cerviarborist]

No lawn treatments, dried tips, dead for a year. No backyard improvements.

Ok, so you've exhausted all the ideas I got from one photo. Time for you to be observant and look for what's out of place. What's an outlier in this otherwise normal scene? What's missing, what's present in more than normal quantities. Was there any kind of crazy weather event in the area prior to the demise of the tree? Any unusual evidence of tension or torsion? While you're doing the takedown, make it into a post-mortem autopsy and be mindful of what may present itself.

 

[DSMc]

The Black Locust tree is tolerant to most adverse soil conditions except poor drainage. That and signs of locust borer would be the first things to consider.

 

[JD3000]

I would look for locust borer and basal damage/rot.

Impossible to tell from that pic tbt