Spruce trees dying. I think

[Gigit]

I am new to the site and appreciate the help and info you can receive from other professionals . I have a customer with about 15 spruce which are around 25 feet tall . Since May I have seen them slowly turn brown and loose there needles from top down. I cut the ones that have lost bark off the trunk .But not sure about the ones that are still a little green on bottom. If they might come back or should cut them. Thanks all help appreciated.

 

[Greener]

I am new to the site and appreciate the help and info you can receive from other professionals . I have a customer with about 15 spruce which are around 25 feet tall . Since May I have seen them slowly turn brown and loose there needles from top down. I cut the ones that have lost bark off the trunk .But not sure about the ones that are still a little green on bottom. If they might come back or should cut them. Thanks all help appreciated.

Dying from the top down is a bad sign. They probably won't make it. Spruces are hard to bring back, especially without knowing what the pest is. Some say trimming out the dead parts will save them but, in my experience it just prolongs the inevitable. Most spruce varieties are either all healthy or on their way to death.

 

[Gigit]

Thanks

I didn't want to cut them if there was a chance of comming back. But probably won't I also have some Jack pine dying also but it has a larg bore killing it . But with the spruce no signs of Beatle or worm must be a disease . Thanks for the info.

 

[beastmaster]

There are needle diseases such as needle rust fungi that will cause the needles to die and fall off the tree. But it only has a short life cycle, and the needle will come back, but tell they do the tree looks dead. Be sure its not this rust disease before writing them off. I would want to get to the bottom of this. When a whole bunch of trees, even of the same species die in close proximity of each other lots of time its environmental in nature. You should do some detective work and figure out the cause. It will be important later on when its time to replace them. If its a soil born fungus you'll have to plant a resistant tree in that area.