Tree health question

[mgnyjcws]

Hello,

I live in Ohio and have 6 big trees in my front yard that i am concerned about. Not sure what kind of trees they are, but they all appear to be having some heath issues :/

Their primary branches are not growing any leaves, but they are growing secondary shoots, that are growing leaves. Hard to explain, so i took a few photos that are attached.

My questions are: Is this tree dying? What is this a sign of? If so, how long before it becomes a risk of falling (close to my house)? they are all between 18-24" across. Any recommendations?

Thank you!

 

[TCtreeswinger]

Gonna need more pics of whole tree, foliage, canopy, root flairs, surrounding landscape and history of any construction. @JD3000. Can help and i believe @ATH too

 

[mgnyjcws]

Here ya go! since these are the closest trees to the front of the house, i could see the roots being disrupted to some degree during the land clearing/grading process during the build. House is 5 years old.

 

[TCtreeswinger]

Guessing red oak which doesnt do well with construction. Certainly no tree will do well with grading and soil compaction. Root flairs dont look terrible but still..a qualified arborist well versed in your area will be able to help more than my cell phone. Good work aint cheap and internet advise on a living thing aint good!

 

[JD3000]

Its caterpillar damage.

 

[JD3000]

 

[Jonny]

Red oak?

They'll probably become an eyesore and obviously dead before they're a huge hazard to the house, barring crazy storms and acts of god.

Hope you can save them!

 

[ATH]

Here ya go! since these are the closest trees to the front of the house, i could see the roots being disrupted to some degree during the land clearing/grading process during the build. House is 5 years old.

I bet you probably nailed it. Unfortunately, it is very uncommon for builders to protect the soil that trees depend on. 5-10 years is right on schedule for damage to show up as dying back trees.

Are you familiar with the site before construction? It doesn't look like they piled soil around the trunks of the trees - so that is a really good thing. I'm curious how much fill they put over the roots though. The more soil they added, the more difficult it is to deal with now. If there wasn't a lot of added soil, but rather just compaction, that is easier to address. However, the trees have entered a decline spiral, so it can be a challenge to stop that spiral. It can be done...but not always easy (or cheap).

What part of the State are you in (even region like NE, NW, SE, SW, Central)?

 

[mgnyjcws]

I bet you probably nailed it. Unfortunately, it is very uncommon for builders to protect the soil that trees depend on. 5-10 years is right on schedule for damage to show up as dying back trees.

Are you familiar with the site before construction? It doesn't look like they piled soil around the trunks of the trees - so that is a really good thing. I'm curious how much fill they put over the roots though. The more soil they added, the more difficult it is to deal with now. If there wasn't a lot of added soil, but rather just compaction, that is easier to address. However, the trees have entered a decline spiral, so it can be a challenge to stop that spiral. It can be done...but not always easy (or cheap).

What part of the State are you in (even region like NE, NW, SE, SW, Central)?

Southwest OHIO. No, unfortunately i wasn't around when the house was being built. Thank you for the good information! We have several acres of probably 20-30% ash, so the area is in need of management already with all of them dying too Any idea why the black cherry trees are all dying? Not even close to the construction... just dying. Are they impacted by the Emerald Ash beetle too?

 

[ATH]

Black cherry in western Ohio clay is, generally, unhappy. They'll grow for a while, but succumb to several different problems. Are there globs of amber colored sap on the trunk?

You said you have "several" acres...how many? If it is getting up towards 10 acres, it is well worth having a forester out to evaluate the property with you. There are Service Foresters with the Division of Forestry who will make that initial visit for free. They are limited to how much time they can spend with one property, but it is a great place to get some on the ground assistance.

(Full disclosure: I used to be a Service Forester, so maybe I'm biased...)