Help needed - identification and recommended action for yellow trees

[athos8282]

My knowledge is quite limited, so I'm coming to the experts for help. From the attached pictures, I'm hoping to find out exactly what kind of trees these are (I am not the original homeowner) and what I should do (trim/prune/remove) with the yellow trees.

As a primer, I recall the previous homeowner mentioning they were some kind of Korean tree, possibly pine or fir, but I honestly do not know and I'm not confident in anything he told me. I've attached a close-up shot of a branch for identification purposes.

Also attached are pictures of the yellow trees, one right next to a healthy green one. We had a very serious drought here in Missouri and that's what I believe caused this. Last year, I had the same thing happen to four small ones on the end of my property and as you can see from one of the attached pictures, I pruned it back, basically lopping off the top and it did return to the green color and grow new branches this year, it just looks bad/odd shaped. Because those trees came back, I'm hoping the same will hold true again for these.

Also, attached is a picture of some bark I removed from a branch to show the tissue inside, I did this on several branches on both the yellow trees and green ones and the tissue all looks the same, kind of an off-white color, somewhat supple feeling (i.e., not dried out).

Any suggestion with the best method of saving these trees would be very much appreciated. I am unsure if I should just remove all small branches or just trim the tree down substantially, or something else entirely. Many thanks for your time and assistance!

Stephen

Attachment:

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[Raintree]

I'm not an expert, just pretend to be one on the interweb.

It looks like you have Arborvitaes, your "yellow trees" are toast.

Why they have died could be a number of reasons.

Some of the common issues I've seen that kill off Arbs are;

Drought or over watering

Improperly planted, too deep & failure to untie root ball.

Rodents girdling stumps, mechanical damage.

Fungus. (my betting chips here).

The list can go on, best to have an Arborist inspect to ID the issue. It may be something that will spread into non "yellow trees".

 

[Urban Forester]

Arborviates have a VERY high incidence of transplant shock. They are also VERY suseptible to root rot pathogens like pythium and phythopthora. In this case RT is right these plants are "toast". If you are planning on re-planting in this area I HIGHLY recommend getting a QUALIFIED Arborist to inspect these before you remove them, to determine cause of death. Soil pathogens like the ones mentioned above would love "new roots" to "feed" on. Re-planting w/o an accurate diagnosis could easily lead to more "toast".

 

[jrider]

The arborvitaes I am familiar with look nothing like that. I would say some type of cypress - and more specifically leyland cypress.

 

[Urban Forester]

The arborvitaes I am familiar with look nothing like that. I would say some type of cypress - and more specifically leyland cypress.

Right you are. It helps if you PROPERLY ID them before making a diagnosis However, I still stick by my original post.

 

[derwoodii]

suspect ACES Publications : CANKER AND DIEBACK DISEASES OF LEYLAND CYPRESS : ANR-1160 your drought can cause stress relationship and so the cranker disease, but over watering by concerned gardeners can lead to very similar symptoms have a dig is it damp dank wet below canopy or dry,,, either way they are kaput replace with local species screening plants see your local Gubmnut for best advice

 

[formationrx]

The arborvitaes I am familiar with look nothing like that. I would say some type of cypress - and more specifically leyland cypress.

we have a winner.... +1

...those trees were planted like ####.... my guess is they HATE that spot... were not watered... the roots may have been damaged when planted.... they were put in the ground too high/low....their holes were not done right.... and are just plain dying to say "#### you!" to whoever planted and "cared" for them...

...take out the dead ones and snip the live ones back to tighten them up.... i would even transplant them (the right way) too... and give them more room so they can be free and open up...

 

[athos8282]

Wow, I can't thank everyone enough for the input. It's great to actually finally know the type of trees I have.

I agree formationrx, the impression I got from the previous owner would fit right into your guess, I don't think anything was done right when they were originally planted.

So essentially - if they are completely yellow, they just need to come out; but if there is some green left on any of them, I can just trim off all the dead material and hope for the best for some new growth next year? There are several that are mostly yellow/brown, but do have green sprinkled in, especially toward the bottom. Last year I had that same thing happen to some of the small ones and they did come back (just not in a very symmetrical fashion).

Thanks again, I truly appreciate the time.