I have a 25 year old redwood that looks great on all sides except for the top half southeast facing side which appears sparse and needles seem to be dead and color of brown/white. Located in Livermore CA
Dead or dying tissue high up in the crown of tree like that is usually indicative of some sort of issue with the roots of the tree. If you are able to take some close-up pictures of the root flare, base of the tree, and soil, it’s much more likely a diagnosis can be made.
That being said, the most common answer here is to call a local ISA certified arborist and have them do an in-person inspection, as there is only so much we can do through pictures online.
Nrur
Are the other trees next to it also redwoods?
retardborist
I’ve never seen mistletoe in a coastal redwood, but some of those branches look real funky like it might have Dwarf mistletoe. Hard to tell.
If it’s just a trick of the photo compression it’s almost certainly a water issue. Livermore is a way different climate than the wet valleys you find these growing in naturally. Deep, infrequent watering does wonders for inland redwoods
akoni333
A witch’s broom on an evergreen is a dense, abnormal cluster of dwarf, twiggy growth, often resulting from genetic mutation, mites, or disease (like rust or mistletoe) that triggers prolific budding. Just a guess..
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Dead or dying tissue high up in the crown of tree like that is usually indicative of some sort of issue with the roots of the tree. If you are able to take some close-up pictures of the root flare, base of the tree, and soil, it’s much more likely a diagnosis can be made.
That being said, the most common answer here is to call a local ISA certified arborist and have them do an in-person inspection, as there is only so much we can do through pictures online.
Are the other trees next to it also redwoods?
I’ve never seen mistletoe in a coastal redwood, but some of those branches look real funky like it might have Dwarf mistletoe. Hard to tell.
If it’s just a trick of the photo compression it’s almost certainly a water issue. Livermore is a way different climate than the wet valleys you find these growing in naturally. Deep, infrequent watering does wonders for inland redwoods
A witch’s broom on an evergreen is a dense, abnormal cluster of dwarf, twiggy growth, often resulting from genetic mutation, mites, or disease (like rust or mistletoe) that triggers prolific budding. Just a guess..
Let’s see the root flare